The Word Slingers

The WordSlingers at Work

2011-11-10T06:19:00.000-08:00

We've been silent on this blog for far too long but we've had an excellent excuse. We've been busy, busy, busy writing. Writing for software companies, fuel oil companies, universities, distribution companies, consulting firms, financial institutions, and more.

In case you are wondering exactly what types of projects The WordSlingers can tackle - here's a sampling of our recent work:

In depth feature stories for a software company's customer newsletter

An employee newsletter from the Chief Risk Officer of a financial institution

Resume and bio upgrades for a consulting firm's personnel

Creating fresh, SEO-rich web content for a fuel oil company's existing website

Edit and expand the Flex Time and Remote Work Policy for a university endowment office

Create friendly and helpful customer letters for a financial institution

Edit the advertising copy for a bio ad for a financial institution

Create fresh and personalized web content for a coach's new website

Develop sales and marketing material for a warehouse and fulfillment company

The WordSlingers promise to blog more frequently with helpful communication tips and stories.

For more information, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

Open to Hope: Inspirational Stories of Healing After Loss Released

2011-06-14T05:33:00.000-07:00

A few months back, I was approached to be a contributor to a new book called Open to Hope: Inspirational Stories of Healing After Loss. I was both pleased and humbled to be asked and naturally, I jumped at the opportunity.

The book's authors, Dr. Gloria Horsley, PhD, MFC, RN, and Dr. Heidi Horsley, PsyD, LMSW, are internationally recognized grief experts. The mother/daughter team founded the Open to Hope Foundation and are hosts of the popular “Open to Hope” Internet radio show.

Since experiencing my own loss, I have searched for grief support that presented the grieving process with a focus on hope for the possibility of a happy future. I found that in the wonderful resources created by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi.

So, drum roll please. I'm so pleased to announce the release of the book,

Open to Hope: Inspirational Stories of Healing After Loss

The book offers a path for hope after loss, with expert guidance. It includes stories and validation from close to 100 other national experts in the area of grief and loss. The amazing Dr. Bernie Siegel said this about the book,

"This book is about more than finding hope. It is about the natives teaching the tourists how to survive the pain of the loss of a loved one. Loss is inevitable, but what we do with it is a choice we must each make. If you want to recover and turn the charcoal into a diamond by using the pressure you are experiencing, read on."

Bernie Siegel, M.D.Author of 365 Prescriptions for the Soul;Love, Medicine & Miracles; and Buddy's Candle

The book is available at local and national bookstores, as well as all online booksellers such as amazon.com, or directly through www.opentohope.com/book. For more information about the book or the Open to Hope Foundation, visit http://www.opentohope.com/ .
I am excited to be part of this, and have part of my own story within the pages. I hope it will serve as a light in dark times for many who read it. As Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi so eloquently put it,

Lean on our hope until you find your own.

Take some time to check it out!

Kelly

Watch What You Say

2011-06-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

As a freelance writer, my ear is always finely attuned to what other people say and how they say it. After all, half the battle of satisfying my business clients is listening to what they have to say in order to figure out how best to articulate their message in customer or employee facing collateral. That's why Charlotte Observer writer Mark Washburn's recent article, Feeling Juniored? The Word Pope Knows Why, caught my attention and gave me a good chuckle.

Having spent many years in corporate American, I'm well aware of how buzz words catch on. The next thing you know, you can't attend a meeting without everyone vying for a chance to use the buzz word to emphasize their knowledge or hipness. That always struck me as somewhat counter intuitive. For one, a simple word doesn't prove anyone's knowledge of a subject and two by the time a buzz word becomes omnnipresent it's no longer hip.

My personal advice, avoid most of those buzz words and speak about what you know best in the words that fit your business style, not the latest trend.

Kelly Buckley of The WordSlingers Honored for her Inspirational Book, Gratitude in Grief

2011-06-03T06:05:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to my business partner, Kelly Buckley, for being honored as an Award Winning Finalist in the International Book Awards for her book Gratitude in Grief, Finding Daily Joy and a Life of Purpose Following the Death of My Son (ISBN# 978-1-4490-6379-5).

For almost two years now, I have been awed and amazed at how Kelly has handled a tragedy that would bring most people to a dead stop. Instead, Kelly has picked up the pieces of her life and continues every day to honor the memory of her beloved son, Stephen, and to create a joy-filled life for his brother, and her youngest child, Brendan.

She is an inspiration to me and everyone she meets as a constant reminder to live life to the fullest, be thankful for every day and not to sweat the small stuff.

To find out more about Kelly and her book, visit http://www.gratitudeingrief.com/ or you can join in on her conversation on life, purpose and faith on her Facebook page or follow her on Twitter. Gratitude in Grief is also available at Amazon.com.

Do You Know Your Audience?

2011-05-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

When communicating for your business, whether it is with prospects, customers or employees, the key to effectiveness starts with one basic tenet - know and understand your audience. Rather that just jumping right in and tapping out a message on your website, your marketing collateral or your employee newsletter, it's critical to carefully consider your audience. This consideration, in turn, should dictate the tone, style and depth of your message. Here's how:

Tips for Writing for Your Specific Audience

Determine their current level of knowledge on the subject. If they know very little, start your message with the basics. If they know a lot, construct a more sophisticated message.

Determine their interest level. If they are already a captive audience, draw them in further with the bells and whistles. If they are a tentative audience, compellingly show them how your product or service solves their problem.

Make sure you understand what their problem/issue that you, as a business person, are trying to solve. They will only choose your solution if they believe you truly understand what they are facing and have developed a product or service that resolves it.

If you are delivering a message that could be met with objections, consider what those objections could be ahead of time and try to address them head on within your message.

The bottom line is this. In today's world, the people in your target audience have information coming at them from every direction and from endless sources. In order to make your message rise to the top, you've got to personalize it and customize it to your audience as much as possible. Does this take time? Absolutely. But consider this - the only thing sending out a slapdash message does is waste your valuable time.

Social Media Revolution

2011-04-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! Just wanted to share this video about the power of Social Media for your business. Are you connected?

Considering the FAQs

2011-04-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

Some clients question the value of having a FAQ page on their website. They are either concerned about trying to come up with concise answers for the most likely customer questions or they prefer to answer customer questions person-to-person rather than through a FAQ page. While both of those concerns have validity, I still recommend having a FAQ on your website. Why? Because there will always be some customers who prefer to do their research on your product or service on their terms which could mean they are looking at your site at midnight. Some just prefer the ability to search anonymously until they've made up their mind. And others want to be able to quickly compare your product to your competitors. If you don't give them the ability to do that, they may just knock you off their list of potential suppliers. As for customers who prefer to speak to a person, they are going to contact you by phone anyway. So you haven't lost out on that opportunity by putting a FAQ page on your site. And in fact, the FAQ page gives them something to refer back to after they've talked to a live person. The fact of the matter with FAQs is...

They are an easy way to provide customers with additional information and details about your products and services, price lists, contact information, etc.

They make your business website look more professional.

They can answer the "what if" questions which help customers know that you are committed to customer satisfaction.

Finally, making yourself think through the questions your customers may have helps you better understand the relationship between your product and your customers and it helps ensure that you have indeed answered the "what if" before they arise and damage a customer relationship.

Need more communication tips for your business, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

Internet Junk Versus Gems

2011-03-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it feels like I'm drowning in information. I'll admit I'm old fashioned and actually subscribe to my local newspaper, The Charlotte Observer, and read it every morning. From there, I check the Internet news, my various email accounts and google alerts so that I've got the latest news that impacts my freelance writing business. The problem is the amount of information out there - it's nothing short of information overload. Miss one day, not to mention two or three, of checking your google alerts and you feel hopelessly behind. The Internet has given us instant access to information that in the past would have taken days or weeks to find or wouldn't have been accessible at all. But most of the time you have to sort through all the junk , and there is gads of it, to find the true gems of wisdom. The key is finding those gems and, as a business owner, making sure what you put on the web is a gem towards which your target market will gravitate. Tips for Sorting through the Junk

Pick a few areas that are most important to you and focus your information gathering on them. It's better to be an expert on things that impact or relate to your business than trying, and ultimately failing, at being an expert on everything.

Learn to skim - you don't have to read every line to figure out whether something is worth your while or not.

When you find a site or blog whose information is valuable to you and your business, make it a favorite.

Agree to share sites you've found valuable with business associates and vice versa.

Making Your Web Communications Gems Versus Junk

Time is of the essence for everyone, including your customers - be concise.

Be the expert in your field. If you're a reliable source, your customers will keep coming back and referring you to their friends and colleagues.

Make sure your communications provide your readers with something useful to them, not just beneficial to you.

Differentiate yourself - Don't be afraid to show your passion for your business. Just make sure you keep tip #1 in mind in doing so.

For more communication tips, check back frequently at http://www.thewordslingers.blogspot.com/.

All the Signs Point to Better Times, Is Your Small Business Ready?

2011-02-08T12:21:00.001-08:00

I was just studying some 2011 economic forecasts for a piece I am writing for a client and it is heartening to see some upbeat prognostications for the year ahead. Consumer spending is up and expected to continue to hold steady or rise, pushing GDP up. The national unemployment rate has fallen two months in a row from 9.8% in November to 9.4% in December and 9% in January, and economists predict it will finally fall below 9% at some point this year.

All hopeful news for small businesses. Are you ready? Have you thought about how to capture some of this increased consumer spending? Rather than a pell-mell, reactive approach, what you need is a proactive Marketing and Communication Plan for the year. This plan should outline with whom, when and how you plan to reach out to the marketplace.

Not sure where to begin? Here are some of the key elements to help you get started:

A routine vehicle for connecting with existing customers, such as a regularly scheduled customer newsletter or email. Provide key news about your business, useful information that can assist your customers in making buying decisions, and of course, a discount or coupon to encourage your readers to act.
Proactive outreach to prospects. Whether it's an introductory in-person visit, phone call, letter or email, now is the time to let your target market know what you're offering and how it meets their needs better than the competition. Include former clients in this outreach as well.
Actively promote your business through monthly or quarterly press releases. This relatively inexpensive marketing tactic is easier than ever with online distribution sites such as http://www.prweb.com/.
Networking, networking, networking - both via the traditional networking methods and on social media sites.
A regular review of the content on your website and within your other marketing collateral to ensure it is up-to-date, accurate, and truly reflective of what your business brings to the table.

Want more help? Contact The WordSlingers and we'll help you with any or all of the following:

Assess your communication goals for 2011,
Create a feasible Marketing and Communications Plan that helps you attract, retain and satisfy customers, and
Provide compelling content for your 2011 communication vehicles.

When to Write Something Yourself and When to Seek a Professional Writer

2011-02-03T09:53:00.000-08:00

Despite the slight uptick in the economy, expense consciousness still abounds in 2011, and rightly so. The decision to spend money must be seriously weighed against the potential ROI.

When it comes to business communications, the question is - when it is worth your investment to hire a professional writer versus doing it yourself. Many are faced with this quandary -everyone from Business owners and/or marketing directors looking for compelling ways to market their products and services when consumers are also still in a frugal mindset, to professionals seeking a more polished resume that aptly appeals to prospective employers.

Asking yourself a few simple questions can help you make the fiscally sound choice.

Does the writing require objectivity? Followed up quickly by "can you be objective"? Passion, especially that of a business owner, is important but sometimes it clouds the ability to view a topic from the audience's perspective and in most cases in the business world, their perspective is the more important one. If you can't see their perspective, they most definitely won't see yours.

Is the writing about yourself? Whether it's tooting your own horn or having to answer for your actions, writing about oneself is the hardest thing to do. But it's also sometimes the most important thing to do. Uniquely presenting yourself with integrity, professionalism and talent can open doors that otherwise would remain closed.

Is time of the essence? Unless you write on a regular basis, writing effectively does not come easily, and therefore nor does it come quickly.

Are you struggling to condense the message into an appropriate length? Compelling and succinct communications are the only way to compete with the bevvy of information available to people today, especially in light of our society's attention challenged mindset.

Is the current communication not yielding the desired results? Are visitors coming to your website but not staying or returning? Are companies sending your resume to the junk pile before they've even gotten past the first paragraph? If you aren't getting the intended results out of your communications, it's time to try a new tactic.

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then it is worth your while to check into outsourcing the job to a professional. In the end it can save you both time and money by ensuring that your business communications are on point, on time and in focus.

Thank You for a Wonderful Year

2010-12-31T11:08:00.000-08:00

To all our clients, readers and friends, Kelly and I want to thank you all for a wonderful year here at The WordSlingers. We have much to be thankful for as this year winds down today.

We successfully survived our third year in the business of writing together despite the recession and sluggish recovery.
We've welcomed several new clients, including Quality Professionals International, as we expand our reach to more and more companies looking to maximize their marketing dollars with high quality communications.

And most exciting of all,

My partner, Kelly Buckley was honored as a finalist for the 2010 Best Book Awards by USA Book News for her inspiring first published work - Gratitude in Grief. Congratulations, Kelly! It is well deserved.

We look forward to continuing to provide communication tips through this blog, writing for our contracted clients and working with all who want to improve the interaction between business people in 2011.

Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays from The WordSlingers

2010-12-17T07:56:00.000-08:00

Peace on earth...

Kelly and I wish all our customers, colleagues and friends a very happy holiday season. To celebrate the season with our families, The WordSlingers' offices will be closed from December 20th through the 24th. We will reopen on December 27th.

... goodwill to men.

The WordSlingers' Founder Kelly Buckley to Share Her Personal Story at Rock Hill Bereavement Event

2010-11-05T05:04:00.001-07:00

When two friends decide to start a business together, you have incredibly high hopes for the venture but you also have some worries - anything from financial struggles, to how you'll divvy up the responsibilities, to the possibility of a strain or worse on the friendship. What you don't ever imagine is that one of you will endure the loss of a child.

Sixteen months ago yesterday, my best friend and business partner, Kelly Buckley, lost her twenty-three year old son, Stephen. His unexpected death shook us all to our core and for Kelly, I can't even begin to fathom truly what it was like. Except that she let us all have a glimpse into the days and weeks following his death in her inspirational book Gratitude in Grief.

And while her heartwrenching tale will make you rush to hug your children and tell them you love them, it has an unexpected twist on grief - finding "one little thing" each day to be thankful for can help ease the struggle of your loss. One person told me they thought it was a revolutionary take on the grief process because it allows the griever to keep their loved one in their heart while at the same time being able to stay focused on the good things that still remain in their life.

Kelly will personally share here story at the "Remembering Our Children" bereavement event on Saturday, November 13th in Rock Hill. Open to anyone in the Charlotte area, I encourage those suffering from the loss of a child to attend.

For more information about the event, click here and for more information about Kelly and her book, visit http://www.gratitudeingrief.com/.

The Same Message Isn't Received the Same Way Every Time it's Read

2010-10-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

I'm going to admit my extreme book worm tendencies by confiding here that I am currently reading Anna Karenina for the fourth time. The first three times were in my late teens and early twenties as part of college courses and then during post college work on my Russian language skills. I wasn't married, I didn't have children and my whole life was before me.

Today, I'm older (but don't expect me to admit how much older) and I'm reading this classic novel under different circumstances and with a much different perspective. I've been married for 15 years, I have two adorable sons and, although I still believe a good part of my life is ahead of me, I definitely have begun to feel my own mortality.

What in the world does this have to do with business communications? In a word, everything.

People perceive the same message differently every time they read it and that perspective gets even wider when you add in the length of time since they last read it, how many times they previously read it, and their current situation compared to their situation when reading it before.

If you haven't reviewed your business' messaging and marketing collateral in a while, then it needs a good once over, and not just from your perspective, but from your clients'/customers' perspective.

Consider this. Customers who viewed your website or picked up your marketing brochure a few years ago, are very likely in a different position now. The economy may have hit some harder than others. Think about your demographic. How hard were your customers hurt by the recession? Now figure out how your product or service fits into their new perspective.

Do they consider it a necessity? Then craft your messaging to make them feel like they are getting a good value for what they need.

Do they consider it a nice to have? Then build a message that helps your product or service feel more like a necessity at a great value.

Do they consider it a luxury? Then market yourself as the luxury worth spending hard earned money for.

In today's still tough economic climate, businesses can't take their marketing and communications for granted. A message that worked three years ago, may well fall on deaf ears now.

The Business Meeting - Five Ways to Liven Things Up

2010-09-28T13:48:00.001-07:00

Okay, the business meetings most dreaded are the regularly scheduled ones - like those for a manager and his/her team or a project's weekly meeting, etc. You know the type and I bet you've been to more than your fair share.

As much as we'd like, we can't get completely away from having those meetings because supervisers need to provide direction and guidance to their teams and project managers need to keep all project members on task. And meetings can be an effective way to do that. Can being the key word. Having a clear cut leader, using a meeting agenda, keeping track of the time - these are all ways to help your meetings be more effective.

However, even when you follow all of the tips we've shared so far in this series, you might still find a few glazed over eyes, vacant stares and even the occasional napper at your meetings. Especially if you are the meeting leader for the regularly scheduled kind. If that's your situation, try these five tips for shaking things up and re-engaging your meeting participants.

Change the meeting venue: Do you always meet in the same conference room or office? People tire of staring at the same four walls. Try a completely unexpected venue, like an outdoor setting. Just the unexpectedness of it should wake your participants up and it might also arouse new ideas amongst the group.
Invite a guest speaker: If you are always the one doing the talking, give your participants a new voice to listen to. It doesn't have to be directly related to the meeting topic either. Maybe it's an educational piece that fulfills a career development need that your employees crave. Get creative with it.
Music inspires, so use it: Is your morning meeting suffering from the snooze effect? Try pumping in some rock-n-roll. This should pump things up a bit and if nothing else, it will get everyone talking about why you're playing music or how much they love/hate the song/group. Either way, you've grabbed their attention.
Let someone else lead for a change: Are some of your employees or project participants anxious to acquire new job skills? If so, assign responsibility for a meeting to one of them. Make them aware of effective meeting tips and let them run with it.
Speed Meeting: You've heard of speed dating. How about a speed meeting? Once every so often, surprise your group with a shortened version of your regularly scheduled meeting. Put all agenda items on a 2 to 3 minute timer. If the reward is getting out of the meeting sooner, you might just be surprised how cooperative the participants will be.

It can't hurt to try, so give one or more of these ideas a whirl. And let us know how it goes. Or if you have a tried-and-true method for engaging your participants, share it with us.

The Business Meeting - Somebody's Got to Take the Lead

The Business Meeting - Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?

The Business Meeting - The Best Weapon for Keeping Things on Track

The Business Meeting - Who Are You Dealing With?

The Business Meeting - When Minutes Count

2010-09-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

This series of tips for effective business meetings wouldn't be complete without a few comments on meeting minutes. Oh no, not the dreaded minutes. People feel almost as much antipathy about meeting minutes as they do meetings themselves. Why? My guess is they don't see the need for them. This seems especially true for those who repeatedly get assigned to take the minutes. And I can empathize with them, truly I can. Being a communications project manager always seemed to land me in the role of minute taker in my previous corporate life.

And in reality and for those poor souls' sake, I'll agree that not every meeting needs to be documented in minutes. However, for the ones that do, minutes can be an effective tool. Just like an agenda keeps an individual meeting on track, minutes can help to keep a team or a project on track.

So here are a few pointers for making the most of your meeting minutes.

Purpose of Minutes: They form a written record of what was discussed, what decisions were made, what items were tabled until more information could be obtained, what tasks were assigned, etc. The library of meeting minutes forms a resource to refer back to for all members of the related team or project.

When To Take Minutes: This is really up to the meeting leader but there are some situations that definitely call for meeting minutes, for example:

Large projects such as systems implementations or process realignments because they keep everything moving forward
Team meetings where task assignments are made and it's important for everyone to be aware of everyone else's assigned responsibilities so that there are no misunderstandings
When reaching consensus on a major decision requires several meetings and you want to have a record of each hurdle as it is overcome to avoid backtracking
Any instance where the topic, group or project involved could be subject to an audit or internal/external review because it ensures you have a clear history to show of the group's progress

What's the Difference Between Meeting Notes and Minutes: Most everyone takes notes at a meeting which reflect their specific tasks and their own individual perspective on what took place. Those notes remain with the individual. Minutes, on the otherhand, should provide a more objective and complete view of the meeting and they should always be approved and published out to the entire group.

Who's Responsible for the Minutes: The meeting leader is ultimately responsible for the success of the meeting but in this case, he or she should delegate the minute taking responsibility because it is impossible to facilitate an effective meeting and take minutes at the same time. So who then? There are no set rules although in many cases there is a person within the team or the project whose role naturally fits with that of a minute taker. If that isn't the case, you can always ask for a volunteer. And finally, to avoid minute fatigue from any one team member, you can rotate the responsibility for each meeting. This option can also help all of the team members to appreciate the minute taker role and to understand its importance.

Tips for Making Minute Taking Easy: Not everyone necessarily knows how to take minutes. The meeting leader should let the minute taker know the level of detail that is expected. At a minimum though, the minute taker should

Record the date, time and topic of the meeting
Using the agenda as a guide, capture the major points made on each topic, including key speakers, and in particular, note any deadlines set and/or tasks assigned
Note any items that are being tabled until the next meeting to ensure they are placed on that meeting's agenda
Note any items that are completed as closed to ensure you don't later duplicate work that has already reached closure

One last tip, having a laptop available during the meeting can help speed up and simplify the minute taking process. Stay tuned, there is much more to come on The WordSlingers Effective Meeting Series.

The Business Meeting - Who are You Dealing With?

2010-09-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

For anybody who follows me on The WordSlingers' blog, you know that I often find inspiration for my communication tips in my personal life. The genesis of this entire series on Leading Effective Business Meetings goes back to a recent meeting I attended. And as you guessed, it wasn't a business meeting. It was personal.

The coach and team manager for my son's travel hockey team called a meeting of all the players' parents to discuss the plan for the season, the schedule (lots of travel) and the rules for the players. It was a very informative meeting and I appreciate all that they've done to get us ready and organized for the season.

I did, however, have one small problem. No one conducted introductions. This particular team consists primarily of skaters who have not played with each other before so very few at the meeting knew anybody else. With travel hockey in Charlotte, all of these families will literally be spending every weekend for the next six months together traveling all over the southeast. So it might be nice to get to know each other. And I know, over six months time we will get to know each other, but it got me to thinking about how often you go to meetings and no one bothers to make introductions.

This can slide for a youth hockey program, but if you are leading a business meeting with a group of people that have never worked with each other, but you expect them to collaborate during the meeting and possibly work with each other after the meeting, you need to introduce every one in the group. Or let's say you have a group that's been meeting together for a long period of time, but a new person joins the group. Make sure to welcome them to the group by having everyone in the meeting introduce themselves.

Introductions also provide a great ice breaker at the beginning of a meeting. In most cases, it should be as easy as getting everyone to give their name and what role they are playing in the project or relationship that's being discussed.

You might think I'm a stickler for details but many times in life, it's the little details that make all the difference. Building camaraderie among your team or group is crucial to driving them to success, and it's difficult to engender lasting good will with someone whose name you don't know.

Related Posts:
The Meeting - The Necessary Business Evil
The Business Meeting - Somebody's Got to Take the Lead
The Business Meeting - Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?
The Business Meeting - The Best Weapon for Keeping Things On Track

The Business Meeting - The Best Weapon for Keeping Things on Track

2010-09-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

There really isn't anything much worse in your work day than either trying to run a business meeting or attending one that gets off track. Because in the end, if the meeting doesn't accomplish all (or at least most) of what it was intended for, then not only is it a failure but it's also a huge waste of time. And as we all know, wasted time means wasted dollars. Nobody wants that and, in reality, nobody needs to fall victim to the meeting boondoggle.

The best weapon against the meeting blackhole of tangents, off topic issues, and side conversations is quite simple - the meeting agenda. Now, I've conducted many training classes where at this suggestion, I get a big groan. So you might be groaning at me right now too. But before you dismiss this suggestion, I can tell you that those same people came to me later to tell me that they tried using an agenda and they got much better results out of their meetings.

Next objection? I bet you think it will require a lot of time on your part. Actually, it shouldn't as long as you know what topics you want covered in a meeting and how important each one is. If you don't know the answer to those questions then you might want to consider postponing your meeting until you do. But if you can answer those questions, then simply use them to create your agenda.

An agenda doesn't have to be fancy, especially if it's for an internal meeting or for a very well acquainted, small group outside of your business. It can be as simple as an email with the topics listed, preferably in order of importance. Although sometimes an important topic has a prerequisite topic that needs to be addressed first.

The one exception, if the agenda is for an important client meeting, take the time to create a professional looking, well formatted agenda on nice paper. Microsoft Word has templates you can use.

The major benefits of a meeting agenda:

It ensures everyone knows the purpose of the meeting and the topics to be covered, i.e. no one has an excuse for not pulling their weight in the meeting or afterwards.
It identifies the time limit for each individual topic helping you keep it all within the overall meeting time limit. Which as I discussed earlier this week is imperative for meeting facilitators.
The meeting leader or facilitator has something to refer back to if and when the meeting starts going off topic or too long without a resolution of an on topic.
If you've invited a guest speaker, it helps them to know how long they have to address your group and where their topic fits into the priority of your meeting.
And best of all, it promotes the productivity of the meeting.

Here's a quick and easy sample agenda:

Meeting Name (i.e. Weekly Team Meeting)

Date: "Start time" to "End Time"

Purpose: (quickly identify the main purpose, i.e. Discuss Team Results and Planning)

Item # 1 (i.e. Recap of previous week's results) - time allotment

Item #2 (i.e. Discuss ways to improve performance) - time allotment

Item #3 (i.e. Assign team tasks for current weak) - time allotment

Item #4 (i.e. Set performance goals for weekly tasks) - time allotment

Item #5 Wrap up (Recap major items agreed upon, takeaway assignments and if appropriate, the date of the next meeting)

One more thing, it never hurts to include time on any meeting agenda to celebrate successes. This lets participants know you appreciate their hard work or your business relationship, and it also sets the tone for what is expected in the future.

The Business Meeting - Somebody's Got to Take the Lead

The Business Meeting - Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?

2010-09-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with my first born, my husband and I, like many new parents, attended child birth classes. They were scheduled from 6 to 8 pm and we both worked full time so we were rushing straight from work to the class, and there was no time to eat or relax in between.

I'll never forget for the second class, one of the six or so couples was late and so the instructor waited for them before she started. About 15 or 20 minutes after the scheduled start time, they strolled in without apology but with food. As my hungry, eight months pregnant eyes glared at them from across the room as they enjoyed their dinner, I knew I wouldn't be so lucky as to eat for an even longer time, thanks to them.

In reality, my anger was misplaced. Of course it was rude and selfish for them to waste everyone else's time but it was the instructor who let it happen. How? By not enforcing the scheduled start and end time. She might have thought she was doing them a favor by waiting to start but in actually, she diminished her own authority as the leader.

It's one of the most basic tenets of holding and leading effective meetings.

Start when you said the meeting would start and end when you said it would end.

Why? Several reasons:

It sends the subtle message right off the bat that you are in charge and not those who arrive late.
If you are holding regularly scheduled meetings, i.e. weekly or monthly, it lets the participants know that 1) you value their time, 2) arriving late doesn't stop the meeting from starting on time, and 3) the start times means the meeting starts.
Keeping an eye on the clock, helps you keep the meeting moving forward. This means if a topic begins to take up an inordinate amount of time and you have other things to cover, that you as the leader, need to table the topic and move on.
Ending on time let's participants know that they have a definitive period of time in which to solve the problems, assign the tasks or whatever purpose the meeting has. This motivates people to act. Note: This only works if you actually end the meeting when it's scheduled to end.

If you start and end your meetings on time, you will be that rare breed of meeting leader but people will respect you for it and they won't come to your meetings already edgy because they fear that the meeting will drag on for hours on end. In fact you will be the hero in your business, your office or even your volunteer activites. And remember, heroes have clout, they have a greater ability to encourage people to act, to move people forward and to get things done.

One final tip - a way to encourage chronic latecomers who still don't get the message even though your meetings start without them - get in the habit of communicating something very important or high priority right at the top of the meeting. Something that they would want to hear from your own mouth rather than secondhand.

Related Posts from The WordSlingers

The Meeting - the Necessary Business Evil

The Business Meeting - Somebody's Got to Take the Lead

2010-09-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

We've all been there. In the business meeting that appears to have no direction or purpose, or better yet any relevance to our jobs. And all the while, the work back at our desk is piling up, the voice mail messages overflowing and the emails spilling out of our inboxes.

There is one element, above all others that we'll discuss this month in our "effective business meeting" blog series, that causes such ill conceived meetings. It's lack of leadership. Point blank, there is no way around it, every business meeting needs a clearly defined leader. That is if you want it to be a productive meeting that accomplishes what you desire or, more likely, need of it.

There are many versions of bad meetings (read boring, waste of time, dull, argumentative, out of control, tiresome, snooze inducing here). More often than not, the major cause of its ineffectiveness has to do with the leadership. Either

There are two many chiefs and not enough indians, i.e. every wants or thinks they are the leader
Or the opposite, too many indians and no chief, i.e. no one wants to take responsibility for leading

Many other causes of bad meetings exist, which we'll tackle as we go this month, but lack of clearly defined leadership has the potential to do the most damage to the business meeting.

Why? What can a leader do? Plenty. A clearly defined leader can, among other things,

Set the overall tone of the meeting making sure it's conducive to productivity
Take the reins and keep things on track when things start going in opposite or multiple, yet irrelevant to the issue at hand, directions
Make sure the people who are needed are included in the meeting and those who don't need to be are left to better uses of their time
Take responsibility for the meeting's overall success

Throughout the rest of this month, The WordSlingers will provide you with the tips and tools that you need to be an effective leader for your next business meeting. It's not rocket science but we've all been to enough bad meetings to prove that far too many people don't know what they are.

Enjoy the holiday weekend and stay tuned for more on "The Business Meeting" blog series from The WordSlingers.

The Meeting - The Necessary Business Evil

2010-09-01T17:50:00.001-07:00

Years ago when I worked as a communications project manager for a large financial institution, my young son and I had a running game at the dinner table every night. He would ask me what I did all day at work and before I could answer, he would respond himself with a laugh and say "you were in meetings all day weren't you, mom." And more times than not, he was right.

The fact that my five year old was aware of the inanitity of the business world's typical overdose of meetings speaks to the futulity of many of the meetings that I attended in those days. However, the business meeting is a still necessary part of getting things done. The trick is making sure that the meeting isn't the only thing that gets done.

A meeting when conducted and facilitated in an effective way can be a very useful tool. It can lead to

Landing a new client or business deal
Moving a project along on its intended path
Assigning tasks to your employees or direct reports
Motivating a group for better results
Successful negotiations with key suppliers or partners
And much more

Over the month of September, The WordSlingers will break down all of the key elements of effective meeting facilitation and leadership. Don't miss this important series that will make your meetings the ones that people don't dread and possibly even look forward to.

Summer Quotes from The WordSlingers

2010-08-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

Even though technically there are three more weeks of summer, today wraps up The WordSlingers summer quote series on effective communication. This one by Benjamin Franklin struck me because knowing what NOT to say is just as important, and sometimes more important, as knowing what to say.

"Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." - Benjamin Franklin

We hope you've enjoyed this fun summer treat of quotes. Starting tomorrow, we're going to begin a month long series on conducting effective business meetings, so stay tuned for lots of helpful hints and tips that can make your meetings those that get results and don't bore or annoy your audience half to death.

Related Posts
The WordSlingers Summer Series - 7/27
The WordSlingers Summer Series - 7/14
The WordSlingers Summer Series - 7/7
Thought for the Day - 6/28

Memorable New Beginnings

2010-08-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today was quite the day; my youngest child started kindergarten. For the first several years of his life, I called him my constant companion because we were always together. Unlike my experience with my older child who attended daycare, with my youngest I opted to leave my communications career in corporate America for some much needed stress relief and balance in my family life. Even when he was in pre-school, the hours were such that it didn't really feel like we were apart much.

Once I began freelance writing with The WordSlingers, he quickly acclimated to the fact that sometimes I needed to work at home. Many a day, he sat on the floor in my home office busy building legos or playing with his favorite stuffed animals while I wrote a press release, employee memo, newsletter or feature story for a client.

Then comes this morning. Would he go willingly? Would he jump into his new situation, one I could only describe for him but that he would have to experience for himself? Would he meet his fears of the unknown? There was a moment at the bus step where it all stood in the balance, a little quiver in his lower lip, not to mention one on my own, and then it passed. In all my life, I will never forgot how he bravely boarded that bus, took his seat in the front row, looked out the window and waved at my husband and I with an expectant smile on his face.

His world will be forever expanded and quite frankly, mine as well. For now there will be more time for writing, more time for blogging communication tips, and more time for my clients. We both have a bright new beginning before us, still the best of companions even if it isn't constant.

Entrepreneurship Begins at an Early Age

2010-08-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a lovely week at the beach with my immediate and extended family. In catching up with all my nieces and nephews, I found a budding entrepreneur in the midst and it reminded me that all it takes is an idea, ingenuity and some sweat to bring a small business to life.

Twelve year old, and already avid gardner, Owen Carter, is turning his green thumb and love of fresh fruits and vegetables into a geniune enterprise with a website, www.owencarterproduce.com; a motto, Buy Fresh Buy Local; a neighborhood produce stand; official merchandise, t-shirts, pens and caps; and best of all, a growing clientele in his home town of Richmond, Virginia.

With the help of his older brother, he has a business plan and Owen Carter is proving that you're never too young to put a great idea to work.

A Summer Break for The WordSlingers

2010-07-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

The WordSlingers' offices will be closed from Friday, July 30th through Friday, August 6th. We will reopen on Monday, August 9th.

If you have a communications or writing request, please use the Contact Us form on our website, and we will respond to you as soon as possible on the 9th.

The WordSlingers Summer Series

2010-07-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

I love today's quote, a back to the basics communications reminder.

"Good communication does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn't about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way." - John Kotter -

For more information about good communications, visit www.TheWordSlingers.com.

The WordSlingers Summer Series

2010-07-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

Today's quote....

"Communication works for those who work at it." - John Powell -

Unfortunately nothing of value comes without effort. The good thing about working at communication is that it pays back in big dividends.

Need help with your business communication, see how The WordSlingers can help.

Related Posts
Summer Quotes from the WordSlingers
Thought for the Day

Charlotte Image Expands Social Media Plan with The WordSlingers' Help

2010-07-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

The WordSlingers are excited to introduce our readership to one of our newest clients, Charlotte Image Photography, a full service photographic studio with the ability to create customized and compelling images for your business or personal needs.

Those who live or work in or around Charlotte, NC, know that Stephen Dey, Master Photographer, Certified Professional Photographer and owner of Charlotte Image, is the choice for one-of-a-kind, heirloom quality portraits and images. Since 1989, Stephen has been producing his photographic masterpieces for corporate executives, businesses of all sizes, families, children, brides and more.

Charlotte Image's blog has been reestablished as your resource for information about Stephen, his studio and photography in general. The WordSlingers have also expanded the studio's social media plan by creating a Facebook group page, perfecting Stephen 's Linkedin profile, and establishing a regular presence on Twitter.

In just a few short weeks, the Charlotte Image group page on Facebook has gone from 2 members to 133 with new members joining every day.

Stephen is a great entrepreneurial example for our small business readership. Not only has he been a successful small business owner for over twenty-one years but his willingness to adapt and embrace new ideas, like using social media to connect with his clients, is ensuring that he doesn't get left behind in our ever increasing digital world.

Related Posts
To Have or Not to Have a Social Media Program for Your Small Business
Getting Your Small Business Social Media Program Started
The Four Elements of an Effective Social Media Plan
The Power of Social Media

Summer Quotes from The WordSlingers

2010-07-07T14:25:00.001-07:00

I shared a great quote about the art of communication last week for the simple reason that I came across it while doing some research for a small business client's blog. However, I've decided it makes a great series for the summer.

I don't know about where you live but it's close to 100 in Charlotte and just as heavy food is the last thing I want to eat in this kind of heat, so too is lengthy or overly complicated text. I'm guessing you feel the same.

So enjoy our Summer Quotes Series. Every so often, I'll intersperse it with other communication tips but I'll try to keep it light but useful until the heat wave breaks.

Today's quote:

"To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well." - John Marshall -

Today is Social Media Day

2010-06-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

According to Mashable.com, which calls itself the "top source for news in social and digital media, technology and web culture, today, June 30th, is Social Media Day. They have events, called Social Media Day Meetups planned all over the world to celebrate. You can check out their site to view live streams of the events or you can look up an event in your local area.

For small business owners who haven't "dived in" to social media, as we suggested yesterday, why not make today's official moniker the excuse to try it out. It's free, it's great exposure and it's incredibly powerful.

Good luck!

Related Posts
To Have or Not to Have a Social Media Program for Your Small Business
Getting Your Small Business Social Media Program Started
The Four Elements of an Effective Social Media Plan
The Power of Social Media

The Power of Social Media

2010-06-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

My past experience in the financial services sector working for Wachovia National Bank has helped me to acquire several clients in this field. One such client is ATTUS Technologies, Inc., a leader in regulatory compliance software and services.

In order to stay abreast of the latest information that relates to ATTUS, I subscribe to BankInfoSecurity.com. Although this site is geared towards banks, they recently hosted a podcast on social media that fits very nicely with our recent posts about social media as an affordable small business marketing tool.

The podcast featured Guy Kawasaki, managing director of Garage Technology Ventures and a columnist for Enterprise Magazine. Here are my favorite quotes...

"Social media has democratized marketing."

In terms of trying social media, Guy advises "just dive in."

On Twitter, "Image what a better place the world would be if email were limited to 140 characters."

To listen to the entire podcast, click here to enjoy "Guy Kawasaki on the Power of Social Media," presented by BankInfoSecurity.

Related Posts:
To Have or Not to Have a Social Media Program for Your Small Business
Getting Your Small Business Social Media Program Started
The Four Elements of an Effective Social Media Plan

Thought for the Day

2010-06-28T06:17:00.000-07:00

I came across this quote on Friday and couldn't resist sharing it with you.

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." George B. Shaw

How apt that statement is? How often do we speak to someone and just assume that our message has been communicated? The truth of the matter is in order for communication to occur it has to be a two-way street, a give and take dialogue. In short, it takes work, it takes effort, it takes patience, and it takes an open mind. But the payoff when it's done effectively makes it all worth while.

When Does Upselling Cross the Line?

2010-06-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

We all know that one of the best sources of business is within our current customer base. Trying to sell them additional or complementary products or services when they are purchasing something from us can be a great way to not only increase sales but also to provide the customer with something that they need or want. But is there a point when upselling goes too far?

The answer is an absolute yes. Case in point, yesterday I took my 10 year old car to the dealership where I bought it to take care of a check engine light that had come on. After a two hour wait, fortunately at home and not in their waiting room, the service department called me to explain the check engine light and give me the estimate to fix it which turned out to be $550.

Not exactly the type of repair I was hoping or planning for but one that I could deal with. However, before I had a chance to absorb that news, the service representative went on to explain that they had completed a full inspection of my car (without my knowledge or consent) and there were several items they suggested that I take care of. I listened intently to all the recommendations which ranged from as serious as the need to replace CV boots to the silly such as headlight refurbishment (there is absolutely nothing wrong with my headlights except some normal wear and tear).

When I asked what his list of recommendations would cost me - the grand total was $3,100. This on a car that, as I said is 10 years old, and probably has a blue book value of between $5,000 and $7,000. As a business owner, I understood their motivation to upsell and I don't really fault them for that but the fact that their upsell would require an investment on my car that I will never recoup felt like a scam.

So instead of retaining a loyal customer who would potentially come back to them for later car repairs, some of which on their recommendation list I will need to do, they gave me the distinct impression that they were trying to pull a fast one. Not only did their upsell fail, their future sales will be impacted by this decision.

Upselling is a key part of business today but it should never come at the expense of the customer because if it does you will no longer have a customer to sell to, much less upsell to.

For more customer communication tips, enjoy our archive of blog posts at www.TheWordSlingers.blogspot.com.

The Four Elements of an Effective Social Media Plan

2010-06-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

Continuing on our theme of social media for small business, today I'd like to outline the four key elements of an effective social media plan:

A Business Blog - This should be at the core of your social media plan. It not only provides a great venue for you to provide relevant and timely information to your clients and prospects but it also has an added benefit for your business. It helps drive traffic to your website. Because your blog provides regularly updated information, it is more apt to be picked up by the search engines than the other, more static, content on your website. This, in combination with the other three elements, significantly increases your exposure and visibility in the virtual world of consumers.
A Facebook Page - It's important to distinguish your personal life from your business life when dealing with Facebook. This can feel tricky for small business owners because the two are so intricately connected. However, do you really want your clients to have access to every aspect of your personal life. If the answer is no, which is what I recommend, then consider creating either a Group page or a Fan page for your small business Facebook presence. Of the two, a Group page is more flexible and allows you more options but either one can help you attract a following that is interested in what your business has to offer.
A Professional Profile - Again, it's important to distinguish yourself as a professional with a unique set of skills and diverse experiences that include, but are not limited to, your current status as owner or manager of your small business. Linkedin is one of the most recognizable sites for achieving this but their are many niche professional sites that are geared toward women business owners, specific business types, etc. Find the one or ones that target the audience most likely to allow your professional profile to shine.
A Twitter Account - Many businesses are finding this micro-blogging site to carry its own unique benefits. The biggest being that many consumers are connecting on Twitter and they want to be able to find their favorite vendors there too. Considering that it is free and it takes just seconds to post a tweet, it is worth rounding out your social media plan with your own small business Twitter account.

2010-06-21T10:48:00.001-07:00

For many small business owners, deciding whether or not to incorporate social media into their marketing plan isn't the question. The real question that haunts them is "should I do it myself," which is quickly followed up with "where do I begin" and "what do I do."

The best and easiest way to answer the first question is to consider the costs and benefits of your three options - 1) you can create and maintain your social media program yourself, 2) you can delegate it to an employee, or 3) you can outsource it to a third-party resource.

Do it Yourself:
The key benefit of creating and maintaining your social media program yourself is that you have complete control of the message. The main cost is your time. To have an effective program, you need to post to your blog and/or social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter on a regular basis - at least several times a week. The determining factor will most likely be your knowledge. The less you know about social media, the more time it is going to take you and potentially the less benefit you will get out of it.

Delegate to a Reliable Employee
If you decide that you don't have enough time or the right knowledge level but are interested in keeping control within your company, then consider delegating it to a reliable employee. The benefit is two-fold - you can still set the overall tone without having to get bogged down in the nitty-gritty and you can present this as an exciting opportunity for the employee to expand their knowledge base. The cost will be in the employee's time, i.e. how much does this take away from their other responsibilities, and how much lag time will it take to get it up and running, i.e. how much research and learning will the employee require to understand the most effective approach for a business social media program.

Outsource to a Respected Contractor
If neither of the first two options appeals to you either because of limited time or knowledge, then choosing an outside contractor can be a worthwhile alternative. The cost is spending some time up front with the contractor to explain your business and your target markets and the expense of their expertise. When you select the right contractor, the benefit is a social media program customized to fit your businesses needs and the assurance that regularly scheduled posts will be completed that expand your following and help publicize your products or services.

The WordSlingers offer a small business social media package that is both affordable and effective. For more information, visit our website at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

To Have or Not To Have a Social Media Program for Your Small Business

2010-06-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

It seems everywhere you turn nowadays, businesses of all sizes and types are using social media to connect with their customers. Case in point here in Charlotte, Duke Energy customers can learn about storm outages via Twitter. So does it automatically follow that if everyone else is doing "social media," that your small business should? Just like your mother always told you, just because everyone else is doing something does not a valid reason make for doing it yourself.

So how can you know if jumping on the Web 2.0 bandwagon and developing a social media program for your small business is the right thing to do? Considering four key questions is a far better tool than peer pressure.

Who are your existing customers? Are they likely to be on social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter? If they are, then as a business owner you most likely want to be where your customers are. To help you find out, I found some key demographic statistics on social networking users. According to a recent survey by iStrategyLabs.com, there are over 100 million users on Facebook now. Females make up 54% of that population. In terms of age, those between the ages of 35-54 make up the biggest segment of users at 29% with 18-24 year olds (25.3%) and 25-34 year olds (24.8%) following close behind. As for Twitter, Quantcast.com estimates that its users are up to 26 million with woman using it more than men and 18-34 year olds being the biggest users (45%).
What new target markets are you trying to reach in addition to your existing customers? For instance, if you are trying to reach a younger audience, then the numbers above indicate that having a Twitter presence may be a very strategic marketing move on your part.
How do your customers and prospects want to connect with you? It's important to understand just how your customers and prospects want to interact with you. If they are satisfied with the traditional phone, in-person or email connection, than you may not need to branch out. However, if your customer base has moved on to Facebook as their main point of connection, or they are demanding a two-way public conversation, then your business' need for a social media program is more acute.
Does your small business have the ability to create and maintain a social media presence? This is probably the most important question because if you don't know how to create an effective social media presence or don't have the time to maintain it, then your program is most likely going to fail before it even gets started. There are ways around this and we'll discuss this in our next blog, so stay tuned.

For more information about how The WordSlingers can help your small business, check out our writing services at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

Constant Contact Makes Newsletter Development and Distribution Easy

2010-06-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

Throughout the course of my communications career, I have written and designed numerous newsletters. Recently in helping a client with his customer newsletter, I had my first opportunity to use Constant Contact and I have to say I was impressed.

I normally dislike predetermined templates because I find them too restrictive but I was very pleasantly surprised with Constant Contact's templates and the ability to customize them to meet my client's needs. It also allows you to mix images with text for the right balance for your readers.

And finally, the most convenient part about Constant Contact is that you can divide up your customer lists into specific categories and then pick and chooose the lists that should receive your newsletter direct via email. The end result is an extremely professional looking, well-designed and easily distributed customer communication.

There is a cost associated with using their service but they have varying account options at different price points. The amount of time you save in trying to design a template yourself and/or in printing/mailing costs, most likely will make it pay for itself.

If you are struggling to begin or reestablish a customer newsletter, it is at least worth investigating.

For more information, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

Put Your Small Business on the Map

2010-06-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

More good news about the economy. This week in front of Congress, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke was quoted saying "the economy... appears to be on track to continue to expand this year and next." As we've been discussing lately in this blog, is your business ready for the return to better times? Even though things are not necessarily booming yet, now is the time to get ahead of the game (i.e. your competition) and make sure your business is on the map.

How to do that?

Here are three quick, easy and affordable ways to get your business noticed by those who do have money to spend.

Publicize your business through press releases. This is a great way to generate local and national buzz about your business.
Create a blog for your business. This not only helps draw traffic to your website but it also sets you up as a credible source in your field of expertise.
Network, network, network. Whether its in person or online, this is a powerful tool for generating interest in your business.

It's hard to say where the economy will be in six months or a year, but if you want to ensure that your small business is right where you want it to be at that point, start your publicity and outreach efforts today.

For more information about The WordSlingers, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

Your Customers' Cash Flow is Improving, Are You on their Radar?

2010-06-02T06:21:00.000-07:00

As discussed last week, there are signs of economic improvement for businesses. The question for business owners is this - do your former customers remember you? Now that their cashflow situation is improving, will they remember why they might want to spend it at your business. Don't assume, hope for the best or take customer loyalty for granted. Instead, now is the time to act.

Get back on your customers' radar and remind them why you were their choice in the past. Here are some ideas for putting your business back in their line of sight.

Create a customer newsletter with useful information and tips. Include specifics about your products and services but also give them news or helpful advice in your related field. Everybody loves a freebie and it costs you very little to share your expertise. If you already have a customer newsletter, consider revitalizing it with a fresh approach or new look to recapture their attention.
Send promotional emails to entice customers. Even though cash flow is improving, customers might need an added incentive to part with it after the last two years. Consider BOGO offers, discounts and summer sales to attract them. You can always pick and choose which customers to send the promotions to so reward customer loyalty with yours.
Make stragetic customer phone calls. Are your customers wondering if you survived the recession? Don't leave them guessing, give them a call and assure them your business is alive and thriving. Who knows it might just lead to an instant sale.
Mail postcards with specials. Sites like Vistaprints make creating and sending postcards easy and affordable. And they do work. I recently received one from a painter/remodeler and it spurred me to get some long overdue painting done on my house. If he hadn't sent the postcard, I might not have done the work or I might have gone with someone else.

The Fastest Way to Lose a Customer

2010-05-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Most of the advice and tips I give on this blog are based on my professional experience as a communications expert, but every now and then I encounter something in my personal life that provides just as sound a communication lesson for business owners. Just such a situation occurred yesterday.

The lesson is - Always listen to your customer. If you don't, you may no longer have a customer.

My youngest son has an important school event this week and he was way overdue for a haircut. I called our usual barbershop, that we have been going to for four years, and made an appointment. When we arrived, I explained that he needed a good haircut but reminded them not to cut it too short. He has two cowlicks at the crown of his head and when his hair is cut too short, he literally looks like Alfalfa from The Little Rascals. I sometimes feel like a broken record because I repeat this everytime we go but if you'd ever see the unruly spikiness those cowlicks cause you would understand.

The barber nodded her head as if she understood, because as I said we've had this conversation before, and off my five year old went to the barber's chair. Now that he's getting a little older and we've been coming here for so many years, I decided to go sit in the waiting area just around the corner. This made it impossible for me to see the actual hair cutting but I wasn't worried. This barber had served us faithfully in the past.

When he was done and he came around the corner, I was literally speechless (quite a feat for a WordSlinger). The barber said, rather flippantly, "I know you said not to cut it too short but I didn't like the way it looked so I went ahead and cut it short." As I stared at possibly the worst haircut (a combination buzz cut on the sides with slightly longer hair in the bang area) I think I've ever seen, I couldn't even form a coherent sentence. Did I hear her right? She just admitted to completely ignoring my request and telling me that she knew better. Bad, bad, bad customer relations move. As I told my husband later, I will never step foot in her barbershop again. No one likes to pay good money to be told your request was silly and so I just did it my own way.

As a business owner, especially if you are an expert in your field, it can be tempting to force your will or opinion on a customer but be careful how you tread here. There is a tactful way to explain your point of view, emphasizing your years of experience, to suggest what you consider are better alternatives to your customer. But in the end, if your customer still wants the original request, you had better fulfull it, or if on principle, you think you can't, then politely decline. Simply ignoring a customer's wishes or not listening is the fastest way to lose a customer, not to mention the word of mouth effect that customer's dissatisfaction could let lose.

Remember that old adage - the customer is always right!

Can You Feel the Subtle Shift in the Economy?

2010-05-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

For the last two years, the economy has not been a source of inspiration or even very much hope for most businesses. And like anything that lasts for a while, you begin to believe it's a constant state, one from which you'll never emerge. However, in the last month or two, I've noticed a subtle shift in the economic landscape.

It really doesn't matter what the economists say, what's important is what businesses are feeling. And here's what I've noticed:

The number of contractor signs indicating home renovations in my neighborhood have suddenly blossomed along with the azaleas and dogwoods, where before it was barren - indicating an improvement in families' cashflow and work for long idle contractors.
Businesses reaching out to us for help with their marketing has suddenly surged - indicating their improvement in cashflow and plans for focused customer and prospect outreach.
New businesses or revitalized businesses appear to be popping up more and more frequently - indicating hope.

Although it's still not booming, the signs are there. The question is this - is your business ready for the upswing? Will you have all the pieces in place to take advantage of this improved cash flow, especially as it continues to improve? Over the next few weeks, The WordSlingers will walk you through some essential steps for making sure you are prepared. So stay tuned.

For more information about our writing services, visit us at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-05-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

The WordSlingers' Tip of the Week for 5/19/10

We've been providing a communication tip of the week since early February and we hope you found these short but sweet posts helpful to your business. The tips are going to take a summer hiatus but we'll still have our usual blog posts with communication ideas, success stories and more on a weekly basis.

As the last post for the time being, this tip gets to the heart of all success.

Following your passion is the best way to ensure your success and well being.

Related Tips
Communication Tip of the Week for 5/13/10

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-05-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

The WordSlingers' Tip of the Week for 5/13/10

Discover your communication strength and then make the most of it. If you are better verbally, then call on your customers via phone or in person. If you communicate more effectively in writing, then work via email and traditional correspondence as much as possible.

Related Posts
The WordSlingers' Communication Tip for 4/28/10

Social Networking is All the Buzz but Traditional Networking Still Has its Place

2010-05-04T04:38:00.001-07:00

Most every friend and business associate I know is fully bought into the social networking buzz and for good reason - it's not only fun, it's incredibly useful, especially for small business owners. I've loved finding past colleagues through my linkedin profile, and joining industry-related groups has yielded a wealth of helfpul information.

However, there is still something to be said for the old fashioned, face-to-face networking that used to be the only choice available. Although many may be tempted to, or have already, ditched this facet of networking in favor of the virtual 21st century kind, I would argue that you need both to successfully market your business and/or yourself.

To prove my point, I want to share an eye opening experience I had last week. Kelly and I were invited to be guests at the weekly meeting of Providence Business Partners, a Charlotte chapter of Business Network International or BNI. Yes, there was the usually hand shaking, elevator speech making activity that I expected but I was surprised to find that there were also tanglible business referrals being exchanged.

Just like every other Tuesday, during our visit, the group spent a portion of their agenda literally passing referrals to each other. It is tracked and measured so that all members can quickly determine the return on their membership investment. What really amazed me was that 99% of the members had at least one referral to pass to another member and I would estimate about 50% had more than one referral to pass on. Especially given the economy, this type of strong referral activity was impressive.

So keep tweeting with Twitter and friending with Facebook but don't forget to check out groups like Providence Business Partners to help balance out your marketing/networking plan. Our thanks to Mike Simons of Geeks on Call and president of this BNI chapter for so warmly welcoming us, and to Stephen Dey of Charlotte Image Photography for inviting us to the meeting.

For more information about our writing services, visit us at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

Related Posts
Crafting Your Elevator Speech

Crafting Your Elevator Speech

2010-04-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

On my business card it says, Mary Crotty, Communications Specialist, and I write often, and on occasion give presentations, on effective business communications, so it might surprise you to find out that even I have trouble communicating sometimes. My particular challenge is communicating about myself. If it is in writing, I'm able to eventually work through my struggle because the written word is my most comfortable and well-practiced form of communication. It's also hands down my favorite form because I can take my time and reread it as many times as I like before I present it to anyone else (case in point, this blog that I've reread twice).

When pressed to speak about myself in a verbal setting, I'm not nearly as polished for some of those same reasons - 1) some conversations aren't planned and the unexpectededness of them throws me off a little, 2) I have to trust whatever comes out of my mouth the first time (there are no re-reads, editing and then sending) and 3) as experienced a writer as I am, I am not a natural orator when it's off the cuff.

However, as a business person I need to be able to tell people about myself and not just in writing. Case in point, I was a guest recently at a meeting of Providence Business Partners, a Charlotte chapter of BNI, and this was a great opportunity to introduce people to the business writing services that Kelly and I provide, so I needed to be prepared.

I know I'm not alone in this struggle, so I thought it would be helpful to share my approach. Most people call it your elevator speech, referring to the possibility that on any given day you could be in an elevator with a potential customer, employer or investor and your ability to make the most of that 30 second elevator ride.

Crafting an Elevator Speech (ES)

Know your area of expertise and don't be afraid to talk about it: You may be capable in various areas but in that 30 seconds you want to focus on the one or two things that you absolutely excel at. So in preparing your ES decide what that consists of.
Figure out how to capture the essence of what you do in the least amount of words: 30 seconds isn't long so you have to craft this ahead of time and then commit it to memory. Try it several different ways, say it and write it down, until you come up with the most compelling and concise way to get someone else to see your vision and your potential.
Consider the non-verbal cues too: What you say is important but how you say it is just as important, if not more so. Remember to smile, look the other person in the eyes, stand up straight, firmly shake their hand and wrap up the conversation by using their name.
Always have your business card ready: This is the tangible reminder of that 30 second conversation that you don't want to be without. Maybe that person doesn't need your services or expertise now, but they might in the future. You want them to be able to easily find you. Have some always in your pocket, your handbag or briefcase.
Practice, practice, practice: Once you know what you want to be able to say at any given moment about yourself, practice it including the verbal cues. Ask a family member, friend or associate to let you try it out on them. If you don't have the courage to do that, then practice in front of the mirror. It may seem silly but believe me you'll be glad the next time someone unexpectedly ask you about yourself or what you do.

Good luck.

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-04-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

The WordSlingers' Tip of the Week for 4/28/10

Make every word count in your business communications because you usually have only one shot (two max) to make an impact. Don't waste it on the mundane, the silly or the extraneous.

Tool Needed: A critical eye - Cost to Employ: Self control over your need to say too much

Related Posts
The WordSlingers' Communication Tip for 4/21/10

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-04-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

The WordSlingers' Tip of the Week for 4/21/10

This week's tip is meant to provide some food for long-term thought rather than a simple short-term fix.

Few fail because they communicate. Many fail because they don't.

Related Post:
The WordSlingers' Communication Tip for 4/14/10.

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-04-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

The WordSlingers' Tip of the Week for 4/14/10

If it's important, say it above the fold because many people never bother to scroll down or unfold the paper.

Tool needed - Brevity: Cost to employ - $0.00

Related Posts:
The WordSlingers' Communication Tip for 4/7/10

Kelly Buckley Publishes Gratitude in Grief

2010-04-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Three years ago this month, Kelly Buckley and I took our friendship, which had begun at the ice rink while our sons played hockey, to another level - we became business partners. Our venture, of course, was The WordSlingers. I must give Kelly all the credit for coming up with the idea and selling me on taking a leap of faith that our communications expertise was needed and wanted and that there was a market for our work. And boy, was she right!

For many, mixing the business and the personal is either an immediate or an agonizingly slow end to the friendship. Fortunately for Kelly and me, that didn't happen. Instead, we became even closer with our families vacationing together and enjoying weekend cookouts and outings as a group.

Unfortunately and unforgettably sad for Kelly, her world turned upside down last July when her beautiful, twenty-three year old son, Stephen, died unexpectedly. Out of respect for Kelly's privacy and need to grieve in peace, the only indication to our public that anything was amiss was a vague blog post on July 8th, the day of Stephen's memorial, titled "In Memory of a Beloved."

In the first days and weeks after his death, Kelly found solace in writing. Despite her anguish, she was amazed by the kindness of strangers and friends alike and she found that concentrating on that helped her to get through her days. She began a journal which focused on her gratitude toward these people and the other things that by no means took her pain away but eased it enough for her to go on. Initially thinking this was her own personal journal, Kelly's wonderful husband encouraged her that it was a story and an example that other people could benefit from. And boy, was he right!

I am pleased and proud to announce that Kelly's journal, Gratitude in Grief, is now a published book and available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble. Both the book and her blog, GratitudeinGrief.blogspot.com, have received acknowledgements from grief counselors and individuals alike, throughout the country, for her unusual, unorthodox and cathartic approach to her grief. It is also a wonderful carpe diem message for those not necessarily grieving but just looking for a purpose in their life.

Kelly continues to be actively involved with The WordSlingers but is also embarking on an exciting career as an author. Please join me in congratulating her on her success and acknowledging the incredible courage it took for her to open up her most personal and painful thoughts to help others in the same boat.

The WordSlingers' Website Captures Expanded Service Options

2010-04-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

At the WordSlingers, we try to practice what we preach to our clients, so we've spent some time sprucing up our small business website as a result of our recent blog posts. We started by reviewing our home page, item #1 on our website spring cleaning checklist, and we realized that although we loved the tone and style of our content, it was not fully capturing our client demographic.

Our home page was focused on entrepreneurs and owners of business with a minimum number of employees, anywhere from 1 to 20 or so. This was because when we started out we felt those types of clients would have the greatest need for outside help building their business brand and corresponding collateral.

What we have found is that in addition, there are larger small businesses and medium sized businesses who need and want our freelance writing assistance as well. Those with anywhere from 20 to 200 employees. These tend to be businesses that have a marketing director or human resources director who operate with very little staff, and in some cases with no staff. Yet, they still need to create press releases, web content, brochures, sales flyers and employee communications. We help them achieve that with high quality results in a cost effective manner.

Even though that was occuring in our daily operations, our website didn't reflect it. We needed to make sure it captured this expansion of our original marketing plan and so we've updated our home page as well as added landing pages for our three key market demographics, the small business owner, the marketing manager and the human resources manager.

Are you in the same boat? Does your website represent your business as it was two years ago, five years ago or simply before the recession, but not necessarily what it is now? If so, take some time to update it so that your website is working as hard as it can to drive new business your way. Take a cue from our own example to help you work through your website spring cleaning.

Spring Cleaning Your Business Website

2010-04-08T13:13:00.001-07:00

At the end of March, I suggested that it was time for website spring cleaning with ideas for a quick dusting for those pressed for time. For those who really want to use some elbow grease to make their website shine, here is The WordSlingers Website Spring Cleaning Checklist.

Start at your virtual front door - your home page. Take a look at it from an objective perspective. Do you like the overall tone and style of the content? Does it represent the right image for your company? Does it match what your company actually does. Is it inviting? If the answer to those questions is mostly in the affirmative, then move on to item #2, and while you complete the rest of the items make sure that all of your other pages flow in tone and style with the home page. If you don't like the content you see on your homepage, it's time to scratch off the dull and mundane message and put a clean, new message on your home page. Everyone knows a fresh coat of paint can make an old front door look like a new one, so can a fresh set of words for a boring home page.
Make sure you have a cohesive style. Starting with the home page and then moving to all of the others, make sure they all use a similar style and tone of content that best represents your business.
Fix any leaks. Double check that all information is accurate and up-to-date. Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Both are signs of sloppiness and although some customers may not notice, I can guarantee you that others will and they will be turned off by it. There is nothing professional about misspelled words or old information and if nothing else, you want your website to come across as professional.
Connect the dots. Most websites today are filled with links to other sites to help improve their SEO. However, web addresses change frequently. Now is a good time to make sure that all your links are working properly. If not, fix them or delete them.
Add some accessories. Web visitors like to find new information when they return to a website. If they don't, some simply don't return. Make sure that your home page points visitors to what is new. If you are not sure how to add information on a regular basis or are strapped for time, here are some ideas - create a blog that is updated at least 2 or 3 times a week; run a daily or weekly special; highlight your press releases; publish consumer useful articles; create a product or service spotlight of the week.

This advice may be all well and good for those with an existing website but what about those small businesses or entrepreneurs who haven't taken the virtual leap yet? Read The WordSlingers series on building your small business website and you'll be on your way.

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-04-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

The WordSlingers' Tip of the Week for 4/7/10

Use your words wisely, i.e. don't make promises you can't keep because they usually come back to haunt you.

Tool needed - Good planning and your integrity: Cost to employ - a little time to think through your proposals and responses to customer requests.

Related Post:
Communication Tip of the Week for 3/31/10.

Are You an Open Leader?

2010-04-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

As a follow up to this week's WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week, I found an excellent article by Charlene Li on Biznik.com. The introductory sentence grabbed me right away - "Open leaders are inherently curious about their world and have an insatiable need to seek out opportunities to improve themselves and the world around them."

No matter whether you run a Fortune 500 company, a 10 employee small business or are a manager within any size company, "What Makes an Open Leader" is a must read, especially in the current economic times.

The WordSlingers will be taking a short break from blogging to enjoy spring break with our children. We'll be back the middle of next week sharing more communication advice and tips.

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-03-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

The WordSlingers' Tip of the Week for 3/31/10

It is better to be honest than to be mistrusted, even if (and especially if) you have a difficult message to convey to employees or customers.

Tool needed - The facts : Cost to employ - $0.00 and some courage

Related Posts
Communication Tip of the Week for 3/25/10

For more tips, advice or to learn about our writing services, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

Email Etiquette for Business: Part 2 - How to Utilize Email to Your Benefit

2010-03-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

In part one of this series, Email Etiquette - Why Should You Care, I helped define the reasons why you should be concerned with properly utilizing email as a key form of communication for your business. Now let's talk about how to do just that.

The Mechanics

These are the standard mechanics that should apply to just about any communication but tend to get lost in the shuffle when it comes to email. This can be disastrous if you are using email to communicate with prospects, first time customers and even loyal customers.

Finish your thoughts: The beauty of email is that it is almost instantaneous but because of that, many times we reel off an email as fast our fingers can type and sometimes our fingers can't type as fast as our brains think. Make sure you complete your sentences and finish your thoughts.
Reread your email before you send: This tenet helps improve the first tenet.
Avoid abbreviations in formal emails: If you are using email to send a formal communication of any type or you are communicating for the first time with someone, avoid abbreviations and slang, i.e. using b/c for because. It looks sloppy and unprofessional.
Don't capitalize every word: Most every knows this implies yelling. Even if you don't mean it that way, figure out a different way to emphasize what you are saying rather than capitalization. Besides which, if you capitalize everything then nothing gets emphasized.

Optimizing Your Outgoing Emails

Writing an email isn't much different than other forms of writing. You need a strong beginning, middle and end.

The beginning: Make it friendly, inviting but always professional. If it's an introductory email, make sure you do just that, introduce yourself. Then briefly explain the reason for your email.
The middle: This is for outlining the facts. Some people gets thousands of emails every day. Keep the middle as short as possible, and get your point across via bullets or short paragraphs. Few people have the email attention span for much more than that.
The end: Wrap it up by making sure they know why you are different from everyone else who is emailing them and how they can contact you for more information.

Improving Your Listening Skills

Verbal communications isn't the only area where listening is an important attribute for successful relationships. Email listening is just as key.

Take the time to thoroughly read important emails: Better to do this than to skim it and reply incompletely or inappropriately to someone you want to impress.
Thoughtfully consider your response to customer email requests: Thinking through your response shows that you are listening.

Email is a form of communication that is here to stay and it continues to evolve as a marketing tool. The beauty of it is its quickness and relative brevity over snail mail communications, however quick and short isn't equivalent to sloppy and unprofessional. If you want to successfully use this tool for your business, make sure you do it the right way.

Visit us at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

Sometimes There are No Words

2010-03-29T10:37:00.001-07:00

Pardon me for veering off The WordSlingers' usual course today. News of two Moscow subway station suicide bombings has hit me hard and left me somewhat speechless. No, I don't have any family or friends in harm's way. My connection to this story is one from a distance of many years and many thousands of miles and yet I still feel incredible sadness at the loss of lives halfway around the world.

Sixteen years ago this autumn, I was enjoying the biggest adventure of my life - a three month, marketing internship in Moscow, Russia. It was a place and a culture that had fascinated me throughout my entire childhood because my father, who raised a family in the midst of the cold war, referred to everything that he disliked as a communist plot.

Everyday of my internship, after eating a somewhat questionable breakfast prepared by Sergei, the former Red Army cook, I walked through the colorful streets of Moscow to the tram stop to catch my ride to the Metro, the city's subway system. If you've never been to Moscow or had the experience of entering the catacombs of tunnels and tracks that make up this incredible public transportation system, then it is hard to explain. You ride down what seem like miles of escalator to the depths of the earth to enter a subway car jam packed with people on every side of you. When you reach your desired stop, you exit the car in a current of people that moves almost involuntarily to those infamous escalators at this station to take you back up to light and your destination.

My stop was the Park Kultury station, one of those hit by a bomb earlier this morning during a rush how much like the ones I experienced all those years ago. Bad things happen all the time and I know that but I wasn't scared back then even though there were signs of danger; Yelstin was just geering up the first war against Chechnya. However, I was young, naive and full of adventure. Despite any danger I perceived I was enjoying this rare opportunity to live and exist in a culture very different from my own.

I heard on one of the news clips today that many Russians were quoted saying they would continue to ride the subway and most likely would return home from work that way tonight. They are a stoic people who have suffered much at the hands of their own and of others so I don't doubt that tomorrow's subway ride will be much different than usual. It will consist of people going about their daily lives, as best they can, hoping a little harder to arrive safely at their destination. Let us hope that we all arrive safely home to family tonight and grieve for those lost today who will not have that chance.

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-03-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

The WordSlingers' Tip of the Week for 3/25/10

Friendliness (to customers and employees) never goes out of style.

Tool needed - a smile or simple hello : Cost to employ - $0.00

Related Post
Communication Tip of the Week for 3/17/10

Visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com

Unsure How to Use Twitter for Your Small Business and Too Afraid to Ask

2010-03-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

I'll admit, I haven't taken the Twitter plunge yet but I have been keeping up with its rising influence in business circles. Many ask, what can it do for my business? Or what exactly do I tweet about? I think many small business owners actually feel a little shy about giving it a try.

So to inspire you, I found a great article from Elance.com's blog. It provides 5 different yet tangible examples of how businesses of various sizes are using Twitter to connect with customers. Some specifically for revenue generation, others to build customer loyalty and relationships. Either way, its only takes 140 characters to tweet so why not give it a try and see how many followers your business can gather.

Email Etiquette for Business: Part 1 - Why Should You Care

2010-03-23T05:05:00.000-07:00

When I first went to work for a large financial institution in the mid 1990's, email was so new that we used an inhouse email program that today would look like something Fred Flintstone used. Paper-based interoffice memos were still the customary form of communicating within the bank and formal business letters on company letterhead were the standard for customer dialogue.

Eventually, a more sophisticated email system was adopted which allowed, what then seemed as novelties, things like attachments, out of office messages, and the ability to know if someone read your email. However, as the technological sophistication soared, it seemed our ability to communicate effectively moved in the opposite direction.

As a result, my group was charged with conducting training seminars on email etiquette for the entire division in which we worked. Of course, we received the bored looks, rolling eyeballs and cynical comments that tend to go along with corporate training of this nature. Everyone thought it was a waste of their time, they had work to do and they already knew how to send an email.

The fact of the matter is that even today, when life without email seems unthinkable, we all could use a quick course on email etiquette. Certainly not a full-day course, but a reminder of how to effectively communicate through this vehicle that is instantaneous, because sometimes I think our ability to do so is as archaic as that old inhouse email system from the 90s.

Why Should You Care About Email Etiquette?

It's one of the most utilized forms of business communication. If you can't get your point across via email, you are not going to be successful.
As I said above, it is instantaneous. You don't have the luxury of pulling that paper letter out of the outgoing mail box when you've cooled down and decided you shouldn't have spoken so harshly.
It's as much about listening, i.e. reading thoroughly what the sender wrote, as it is about responding. In fact, you can't respond effectively if you haven't listened and yet many of us do that all the time.
Back to the most basic of concepts, your word is your reputation. If your word(s) are sloppy, unprofessional, compulsive or nonsensical, then what is your reputation?
Those who master the art of email etiquette are more likely to have motivated employees, more cooperative co-workers, loyal customers and good success at converting prospects.

Think you don't have time to worry about email etiquette because you're too busy. Think again, it is an essential part of any job in today's world. If you know how to use it to your advantage, email etiquette can be a boon to your career.

In the second part of this blog series, we'll tackle the etiquette itself so stay tuned.

For more information about The WordSlingers, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

It's Time for Spring Cleaning Your Small Business Website

2010-03-22T06:38:00.001-07:00

Still adjusting to the time change over a week ago and seeing all the trees and flowers start to bloom here in Charlotte reminds me that it is time for spring cleaning. Not the household kind, although I'm sure that needs to be done too. It's time to dust off your editing skills and do a thorough spring cleaning of your small business website. Especially if you haven't looked at it in a long time or heaven forbid since you originally launched it X number of years ago.

Why? Three Good Reasons

Website visitors like to see new material. When was the last time you posted something new?
How long has it been since you actually did a thorough read through of your site? Ever?
The economy is starting to turn. Is your virtual storefront ready?

I know your time is limited, so here are some tips for a quick dust off if that's all you can manage. Later in the week, I'll provide a full spring cleaning guide for those who really want to go the distance.

If you do nothing else, take a look at your home page.

Is it visually pleasing or it is cluttered? Clean up the unnecessary words. Make it inviting to visitors.
Does it describe the need the visitor is trying to fulfill? If it doesn't, change the content now. Make sure there is no doubt what you can do for the visitor.
Does it identify your business? Make sure your name is obvious and what you sell or provide is absolutely clear.

Check your Contact Us Page. Make sure your phone number, email address and location are all up to date. If you have an email contact form, make sure it works.

Do a quick grammar and spell check. Nothing turns off a visitor like sloppy content.

Make sure your product or services pages don't include any obsolete information. A big turn off to a visitor is to get interested in something they think you sell only to find out you no longer carry it.

Just so you know that at The WordSlingers we practice what we preach, we are in the process of updating our own website. More information on that to follow soon.

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-03-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

The WordSlingers' Tip of the Week for 3/17/10

Remove the clutter in your writing, i.e. all unnecessary words.

Tool needed - a critical eye: Cost to employe: $0.00

Visit us at www.TheWordSlingers for more communication tips or to learn about our writing services.

Related Posts
The WordSlingers' Communication Tip for 3/10/10.

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-03-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

The WordSlingers' tip of the week for 3/10/10

Don't be afraid to ask questions. It helps you gain perspective and solve problems in the board room, the shop room or the lunch room.

Tool needed - curiosity: Cost to Employ - $0.00

Related Post
The WordSlingers's Communication Tip for 3/3/10

Business Communications Rarely Get a Reread

2010-03-04T09:04:00.001-08:00

For Christmas, my husband and I gave each other books. He picked out The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone for me and my choice for him was Pat Conroy's latest, South of Broad, and each of us had every intention of eventually reading both books.

Since I'm the more avid reader, a fact my husband would tell you anyday, and have more time to read, I finished my book first. I could see that he was only halfway through South of Broad and so I decided to reread The Four Corners of the Sky. It's a very compelling read, with part of the story taking place in North Carolina, which I of course loved. What I have always known about myself is that I tend to read so quickly that sometimes I miss things. On the second read, I'm more careful to pick up on subtle nuances and undertones. This proved true with my second rendition of Michael Malone's work.

How does this relate to business communications? Unlike fiction and non-fiction literary works, very rarely is anyone going to take the time to reread your business message (web content, brochure, press release, flyer, etc.). That means you need to get it right the first time.

Be crisp: Use words wisely and sparingly.
Be interesting: Find a way to separate yourself from the crowd.
Be focused: Stay on task, give the information your audience wants and needs, not just what you want to tell or sell.
Be approachable: Don't put yourself on a different level from your prospects or existing customers.
Be professional: Approachable doesn't mean slack or sloppy. Always put your best image out there because remember a reread is a rarity.

For more business communication tips and advice, visit our website at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-03-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

The WordSlingers' Tip of the Week for 3/3/10

Vary your vocabulary to make your written business communications more compelling and interesting.

Tool Needed - Your imagination or a thesaurus: Cost to employ - $0 to $15

Related Post
The WordSlingers Tip of the Week for 2/24/10

To learn more about our business writing services, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

Don't Underestimate the Monetary Impact of Business Communications

2010-03-02T15:06:00.000-08:00

When I blog about the importance of communications to your business success, I know that there are cynics out there who view communication as the fluff stuff of business. The "we'll get around to it when we have time or money," the "that's the soft and mushy stuff that doesn't do any good" attitude of those who are hard at the nuts and bolts of running their business.

I don't take offense. I know that running a business is extremely hard work that requires a million different tasks in a day. I get it but the reason I get it is because communication does require a soft hand. It is an art form that is anything but frivilous or irrelevant to your business.

If you don't believe me, take a look at what Mary Anne Donavan, a professor of communications, has to say about The State of Business Writing Today. She provides some very interesting statistics on just how much poor business communications or inadequate personal communication skills can impact success.

For more tangible tips on improving your business communications, visit us regularly at www.thewordslingers.blogspot.com.

Speaking the Same Language is Half the Battle

2010-02-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

As I've said many times on this blog, my family is obsessed with hockey. My husband plays adult league hockey, my 12 year old son plays AA PeeWee travel hockey, and my 5 year says he's going to be the next Sidney Crosby. And this isn't just because of the Olympics, although we are loving every minute of this rare opportunity to see so much hockey coverage on TV.

I always find this family obsession, which I have been pulled into hook, line and sinker, rather funny because I was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. Basketball was always my game to watch. If you had told me 15 years ago that I would be glued to the TV to watch the Canadians versus the Russians in the Olympic quarterfinals, or that I would spend three nights a week at the hockey rink, or spend half of the year traveling to various hockey tournaments and exhibition games, I would have looked at you as if you had ten eyes and two mouths.

But that's my reality and I have had to learn a whole new language to operate within this reality. For instance, in most sports the participants are called players. In hockey, they are skaters. In football or basketball the players wear jerseys. In hockey, the skaters wear sweaters (although they look just like jerseys). In most team sports, they play 2 halfs, some with quarters to split those halfs. Not in hockey, the teams play three periods. In basketball, you foul an opponent. In hockey, you're called for a penalty. And last but definitely not least (it's just where I am in my education), most other team sports use a ball but in hockey we use a puck.

Now I could have been stubborn and refused to learn this terminology but where would that have gotten me. In the dark at most games and in the doghouse with the three most important people in my life.

The lesson here is that to communicate in an environment different than the one you are used to, and especially one you are trying to gain access to, you have to be able to speak their same language. What's the appropriate lingo, terminology, etc? You don't have to be an expert but you are much more likely to get your foot in the door if you've at least attempted to acclimate yourself to their way of talking and getting things done.

For anyone whose curiousity about hockey has now been piqued, you can watch the Woman's Hockey gold medal game tonight - USA versus Canada.

Related Posts:
The Art of Talking Level (not up or down) to Your Customers

Visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-02-24T06:40:00.000-08:00

The WordSlingers Tip of the Week for 2/24/10

To effectively communicate with anyone (your customers, employees or colleagues), listen 90% of the time and talk 10%.

Tool Needed - Patience: Cost to employ - $0.00

Related Post
Introducing The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

To learn more about us, visit our website at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

The Art of Talking Level (not up or down) to Your Customers

2010-02-23T11:08:00.000-08:00

As a small business owner, you take pride in knowing your topic and you should. It's hard-earned experience. However, when talking to your customers, there is a fine line between representing yourself as a credible, intelligent source and offering your knowledge in a condescending, know-it-all way. Obviously the former will be more appealing to customers and the latter a definite turnoff. But how do you talk to a customer when they have little to no knowledge of your subject without making them feel stupid?

The answer, you have to find a way to talk level to the customer. You can't talk up to the customer because that will give off the impression that, in fact, you don't know what you're talking about. But you also can't talk down to the customer because nobody wants to feel like an imbecile.

I've been on the receiving end of just such a situation. As I've said many times, I'm a word person, not a numbers person. So my husband and I used to pay accountants to do our taxes for us. Every year, I would dread the meeting because the accountant would make me feel so stupid which was ironic because I was paying them to handle my taxes. I wanted them to be the experts but I certainly didn't want to be made to feel that I was an absolute idiot in the process. And yet, I had this same experience with two different accounting firms. My solution, I went to TurboTax. Best thing I ever did. TurboTax explains everything to me in clear, concise terms without the condescension.

But you don't want your customers tuning you out for software. So here are my tips for talking level to customers:

Read their body language - If they start to squirm or get a puzzled look on their faces, you may be talking over their head. Time to put your industry jargon into laymen's terms.
Avoid big, fancy industry words - They may put you at the head of the class at an industry conference but with customers, use more mainstream terms.
Explain but don't condescend - If a customer doesn't understand a term or concept you are talking about, use a neutral tone and suggest that you both step back a moment to recap what you've discussed so far. Use that opportunity to give the background needed for a better explanation or offer up a live example of what you are talking about.
Listen for the question that may not be asked - The last thing you want is for a customer to walk away with a question unasked because they didn't want to look stupid. Think of typical questions that customers of a similar knowledge base have asked in the past and offer it up freely.

I'm sure that the accountants I dealt with didn't think they were being condescending and I don't think it was intentional, but the bottomline is that I am no longer their customer. Don't let that happen to you. Analyze your tone and interaction when talking with new customers or those with limited knowledge and do your level best to talk even to them.

The WordSlingers' articles library has more tips and advice on improving your business communications.

The Writing Source for Marketing and HR Managers

2010-02-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased to announce that my freelance writer profile is currently posted on the freelance writing market place hosted by Jennifer Mattern on www.allfreelancewriting.com. My listing is titled Mary Crotty: The Writing Source for Marketing and HR Managers because in addition to helping small business owners, Kelly and I also provide a great resource for hectic, overworked and understaffed Marketing and HR Managers. From creating web content to writing brochure and ad copy for Marketing managers to developing employee newsletters or message-specific memos for HR professionals, we quickly and effectively deliver the content that breeds success.

For more information about our business writing services, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com

Anticipation at its Best

2010-02-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

When it comes to Christmas or a snow day, I'm as giddy as my kids. And half the fun is the anticipation. From December 1st on, I'm on pins and needles waiting for Christmas Eve, my favorite part of the holiday. And when the weather man predicts snow, I'm checking the sky as often as the school kids before I go to bed that night.

Neither of those events are an everyday occurrence, and a snow day in Charlotte sometimes isn't even a once a winter occurrence, so you could argue that it's the anticipation that I crave. Luckily for me, there is an everyday occurence that I anticipate with almost as much relish - the mail delivery. Despite the fact that most days it is filled with bills, I start listening for the mail truck right around lunch time and I'm not satisfied until my hand reaches into the box and pulls out whatever surprises lay in store for me. And there it is - it's the surprise I'm waiting for. Most days it isn't there, and yet I continue to believe one day there will be a great surprise.

I have a feeling I'm not alone in my hope because as soon as the mailman passes, all my neighbors are out collecting theirs as well. So, there must be a way for small businesses to capitalize on this hope. Of course, there are direct marketing tactics but I have to admit that I normally throw those out. Here are a few possible ways you could provide that one great surprise for a select few customers or your top 10% or whatever meets your goals and resources:

A personalized note thanking them for their business and offering them a sneak peak to see your latest merchandise before the general public.
A coupon to be redeemed free of charge for an item the customer views as valuable.(obviously it has to be an item that either doesn't cost you a lot or will lead them to buy something else).
An invitation to a select customer party or event (everyone loves free food).
A Customer of the Month award - a gift card, tickets to a local event, or even a gift basket.

Use your imagination and when you do, think about the feeling you get when you go to the mailbox. What would make your day if it were inside? Ok, be more realistic than keys to a porsche. Now figure out how you can turn that into the surprise of the day for one or more of your customers.

To learn more about our business writing services, visit us at http://www.thewordslingers.com/

110 Years in Business

2010-02-18T14:02:00.000-08:00

Although I'm a native Charlottean (which is rare as Charlotte has become a city of transplants), I now live in Matthews, one of Charlotte's surrounding towns that have just as much history as the better known city and still quite a bit of charm left. Yesterday, I was driving through the center of Matthews and the sign for Renfrow Hardware caught my attention. Not that I hadn't noticed it before as it covers the top half of the turn-of-the-century building that Renfrow calls home. But for some reason on this day, my eyes focused on the words "established in 1900."

Doing some quick math in my head (words are my strong suit), I smiled to think that they are celebrating their 110th anniversary in business. That's quite a feat. One that lasted through two World Wars, one Great Depression, one Great Recession, and multiple other economic booms and busts.

So how do they do it? How do they compete with the likes of Lowes and Home Depot just minutes away from their location with potentially easier parking. Well, I've visited Renfrows (it's an especially fun place to take your kids) and in my opinion here is why they have lasted. For any small business owner, there business model is worth noting.

They know their customer - both literally (regulars are greeted by name) and figuratively (the charm of the store is as much what customers come for as the merchandise).
They know themselves - they understood a long time ago what made them successful and carved out a viable niche for themselves in the hardware market.
They are always friendly - Doesn't matter what time of day you walk in, you're greeted and asked if you need help.
They are credible - From the owner to the part-time help, they know what they are talking about and can assist you with just about any project or purchase you've got in mind.
They don't sell everything under the sun: They sell nails (still in the bins, so you can buy the exact amount you want, not a gross that you'll never use), paints, seeds, gardening tools and everything else you can imagine should be in a hardware store. But if it isn't hardware related, it won't usually be on their shelves.
They've established themselves as an integral part of the Matthews Community: Just watch the people strolling through their doors after visiting the Matthews Farmers Market on a Saturday morning.

I'm proud of the fact that The WordSlingers has been in business two years but I realize that's just a drop in the bucket for Renfrow. But in 1902, they were just budding on the vine and now they are a well established tree that shows no signs of dying anytime soon. That should give all small business owners hope as well as some valuable guidance on how to survive.

Visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com for more information about our business writing services.

Introducing The WordSlingers' Communication Tip of the Week

2010-02-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

It's been a few days since I blogged and that's because I've been taking my new year's resolution to improve our blog to heart. The result is both a product of that reflection and a great example of our introductory Communication Tip of the Week.

We'll shoot for publishing these on Wednesdays since everyone can use a little inspiration mid week and we'll use the format below. We've been getting great feedback on our blog of late, so let us know what you think of this new twist.

The WordSlingers Tip of the Week for 2/17/10

Thinking before you speak or act is always a wise course of action in business.

Tool Needed - A good set of ears : Cost to Employ - $0.00

Learn more about our business writing services at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

Does it Matter If You Know What Onomatopoeia Means?

2010-02-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

The great thing about being the parent of a middle schooler is that you get to relearn all the stuff you thought was boring when you were in school but now find quite interesting. The other day my son was working on a Language Arts project and he asked me what "onomatopoeia" meant. I remembered that funny sounding term but couldn't for the life of me recall the definition, which was a little embarrassing when you consider that I am a freelance business writer.

We looked it up together and just in case you can't remember either, it is the term for a word that imitates the sound it is associated with - example buzz.

I started thinking about how much of English grammar we either take for granted or assume we remember correctly. And does it matter? Well clearly, it isn't going to make much difference whether you know the meaning of "onomatopoeia" when writing a business communication. But there are many other grammar rules and dictates that are important. Why, you might ask? Abiding by them in your communications points to your credibility as a source. Does that mean you need to be an expert? No, you just need to know where to look to check yourself if you're not sure. Here are some great sites that are easy to use and have a wealth of information.

Remember your website and any marketing collateral or business communications you send out should be free of spelling and grammatical errors. No need to turn someone off just because you didn't spell a word correctly or use the right noun and verb agreement.

The Tenth and Final Round

2010-02-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

Today is it, the final in our series of the Best of the Best of The WordSlingers communication advice and tips. If you are working to improve your small business communications strategy, I hope this series has given you substantial clues on how to go about it.

I also hope this series has helped identify why a blog can be such an important tool in your strategy. If you are still uncertain about the purpose of a blog, here goes...

The Purpose of Your Small Business Blog

Provide credible and free advice to your existing clients and prospects

Introduce your small business to the virtual world

Stay on your target audience's radar, and finally

Let your customers get to know you

All of this builds trust and credibility with your customers and prospects.

To learn more about The WordSlingers, visit our webiste and check back to this blog often.

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited - Round 9

2010-02-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

Our revisit of the best of the best of The WordSlingers' blog for small business wouldn't be complete without our series on Back to Basic (B2B) Communications. Yes, to most B2B means business to business, but to be successful in that realm you must understand and utilize back to basic communications. By basic, we don't mean these tactics are juveline or simplistic, rather we believe they are fundamental to business success.

Start with our opener B2B Communications - A Refresher and work your way through the complete series which ran the entire month of October, 2009.

www.TheWordSlingers.com.

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited - Round 8

2010-02-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

Just today I was reading the Congressional Budget Office's "The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2010 to 2020," to research a topic for a client's employee newsletter. It has some very sobering statistics but the CBO does indicate its belief that the recession officially ended in mid 2009. We all know that just as there was a lag time between when we began to feel the recession to when economists actually called it, there will be a lag time between the "official" end of the recession and when we actually feel like it is over.

But that day will come for us and for our customers. The question is - are we prepared? That is the topic of our 9/23/09 post - "5 Free Ways to Build Your Small Business Brand and Boost Your Credibility." Read it and learn what you can do to ride the wave of the recovery into your future success.

Related Posts:

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited - Round 7

To learn more about our business writers, visit us at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited - Round 7

2010-02-02T05:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we revisited our advice for managing your small business blog. For those of you who haven't even tackled a small business website, let alone a blog, today we're rerunning our post of 7/16/09 - Creating Your Small Business Website - Part 1. This post, the first in a four part series, helps you analyze you own need for a website. If the answer to that analysis is yes, parts 2, 3 and 4 then help you formulate the tone and style of your website's content.

Related Posts
The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited - Round 4 and 5

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited - Round 3

Do you need to outsource a writing project? Find out about our services at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited - Round 6

2010-02-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

Back in January, I recommended that small business owners try blogging as a marketing tactic for 2010. If you're seriously considering taking that advice, you don't have to figure it all out on your own. In our May 4, 2009 blog post, Ideas for Managing Your Small Business Blog - Writing it Yourself, you'll find some very practical and usable tips for starting and maintaining your blog.

If you have specific questions about blogging, feel free to email us at mary.crotty@thewordslingers.com.

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited - Round 4 and 5

2010-01-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

I didn't get a chance to blog yesterday due to a priority writing project for a client, so today I'll revisit two previous posts from The WordSlingers Blog that are worth a second look.

The first, which ran a year ago yesterday, let's you use our simple checklist to find how easy you make it for your customers to do business with you, in "Smart Small Businesses are Low Maintenance Partners for Their Customers."

The second highlights the benefits of developing a local networking group. Social networking gets a lot of press lately and it does have its benefits, but so too does the old fashioned type of networking as you can see in "Building a Local Network Group Can Be a Lifeline for Small Businesses in Today's Market."

Enjoy and let us know if you have a particular topic you'd like us to cover in this blog.

www.TheWordSlingers.com

Related Posts

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited - Round 3

2010-01-27T11:55:00.000-08:00

One of our most frequently visited posts, isn't about communication at all. It's about going for your dreams and not letting fear get in your way. The economy has put a damper on many of our spirits for many reasons - we enjoy a lower standard of living, we can't afford a vacation this year, we had to put off buying needed equipment for our business, etc. But the biggest reason, in my opinion, is that we are in unchartered territory. We fear the unknown of what is to come next because no one is quite sure what the future will look like. So there are two choices for small business owners - wait and see (because the fear is paralyzing) or plan carefully and then act to secure your future.

Why not, The Only Thing You Have to Fear is Fear Itself.

This post originally ran on January 21, 2009. Enjoy!

For more information about us, visit www.TheWordSlingers.com.

Related Posts

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited - Round 2

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited - Round 2

2010-01-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

While we're strolling down memory lane this week to revisit some of The WordSlingers' most helpful blog posts, here is one that originally ran on September 4, 2008.

Excerpts from
All I Need to Know About Communicating I Learned in Kindergarten or Shortly Thereafter
Since as far back as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the way people communicate with each other. In my early years, it was my parents arguing or my siblings letting jealousy or family order determine their interaction with each other. In my adulthood, it has been co-workers falling into the pit of "that's not my job" or the CYA mentality that hindered their ability to communicate and in essense their ability to succeed.

So many of us, myself included, get ourselves into jams because we take communicating or our ability to adequately communicate for granted. The irony of this is that communicating effectively isn't really all that complicated, it's just that we sometimes choose to make it more difficult than it has to be. It's sort of like Robert Fulghum's "All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." In addition to many wonderful reminders, he suggests that if we all ate some milk and cookies at 3 o'clock and then settled down for a nap, the world might be a better place. Likewise if we spent a little more time on the following when we communicate, our relationships, business and otherwise, might be vastly improved:

Doing more listening than talking
Walking a mile in someone else's shoes
Thinking before we speak
Checking our work for errors
Using good grammar when we write and speak
Making sure to check for spelling errors

For more information about our copywriting and other communication services, visit us at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

The WordSlingers' Communication Advice Revisited

2010-01-25T07:23:00.000-08:00

In searching for a former blog post, I realized there is quite a bit of very good information and tips within our archives. For those of you who have just recently joined us or for those who occasionally need a reminder, the next week or so this blog will feature some of our most useful and practical posts from the last two and a half years. Enjoy!

The post entitled "Resist Keyword Overkill" ran on July 1, 2008 and I still stick by its main point. In fact, you can look to The WordSlingers' website for an example. We have sound SEO rankings - if you google Charlotte Freelance Business Writers, we list towards the top of the first page, above the fold. And yet, our content is direct, readable and compelling - not chock full of keywords that don't make any sense.

Excerpt from Original Post
For anyone tempted to fill their website with every possible keyword in hopes of achieving SEO nirvana, stop and think a minute about your true objective. Yes, you want to rank high in search results to drive customers to your site but if all they find when they get there is every possible combination of keywords it's unlikely they will stick around or ever come back. Instead give them a great story about who you are and what your business can provide them. It should be simple but compelling. Of course a few keywords strategically placed within the text is important but the keywords shouldn't be the story.

A Fresh Perspective for a Fresh Year

2010-01-22T06:11:00.000-08:00

For today's post, my focus is not about communications or writing. This isn't new. We've done several motivational pieces on this blog and we'll continue that for 2010. It can't all be nuts and bolts, sometimes you need to look at the big picture. Friday is a good day for the big picture and so today's topic is finding a fresh perspective.

It's still January, so even though resolutions have probably already been made, and possibly broken, it's not too late to start the year on the right foot. For me, that came in the form of reorganizing my office. I cleaned out all my old files, which was liberating in and of itself, but I also bought some new furniture and rearranged the location of my desk.

My desk used to be in a dark corner of my office. There was little light and it could get very stuffy. Now, my desk is right in front of two panels of windows that look out at the trees, the sky and passing pedestrian and vehicle traffic. You wouldn't think it would make much difference but it has totally changed my perspective. I'm motivated when I sit down to write. Much of writing is looking out into the space in front of you and figuring out how to get the ideas in your head onto the screen or the paper. Having a pretty view works wonders. So when I'm writing The WordSlingers blog posts, creating press releases for my clients or just business writing in general, I find the ideas flow much faster and easier.

In short, this new perspective has unleashed fresh creativity. During this upcoming, last week of January, take some time to find your new perspective for 2010. You might be surprised at what it will bring. Good luck.

For more information about outsourced business writing, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

Great Tips for Developing Your Small Business Marketing Plan

2010-01-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

The majority of the time on the WordSlingers Blog, we provide our own communication tips and advice. But occasionally when we find an informative piece from others, we don't shy away from sharing it. Suite 101 has a very useful article to help you write your Small Business Marketing Plan.

If you don't have a marketing plan, you should. It's almost as important as your business plan for helping you define and then reach your goals. Use this article to help you get started.

If you already have a marketing plan, take a look at this article anyway. It's a good opportunity to review what you have and determine how it could work more to your advantage.

To learn more about the business writing services offered by The WordSlingers, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

The Impact of Just One Word

2010-01-14T07:37:00.000-08:00

Words are my business. Obviously. I'm a WordSlinger, freelance writer, by profession, a crossword fanatic by hobby and a just all around lover of words. The sound, the texture, the feel of words, making them come to life on the page, is to me what hockey, football or baseball are to others in my family. I often talk about the power of words but yesterday, I experienced up close and personal the very real impact one word can have on a person.

I received an unexpected call from my son's middle school saying that he had an accident and had split his head open. The school nurse felt that he would need stitches. Once at the pediatrician's office, the doctor confirmed at least 5 or 6 stitches were in order. My son wasn't too excited about this idea but here's where it gets interesting. The doctor informed us that since the gash was above his hairline that staples might be the preferred option. She said they would be quicker and easier both going in and coming out.

The 12 year old didn't hear anything after the word staple. Seems like a pretty innocuous word but apparently to him the thought of someone taking a stapler to his head was pretty traumatic. After much coaxing from both the doctor and myself, we got him to agree to at least one staple to see how it went. With numbing medication, all he felt was pressure and so he agreed to another, and then another, and so on.

When it was over, he told the doctor "that wasn't so bad." And it hit me, it was the word and what it conjured up in his head - pure fear. Staples are for jamming school reports together. Staples are shiny, sharp metal objects that certainly don't belong in someone's head. Staples are the wrong word to use when you've got a gash the size of a quarter in your head and you just wish you could go home and watch TV.

Anything would have been better than staple or stapler. How about the handy dandy skin embracer; the magical mystery skin fixer; or the hold and heal method. We use words all the time in business and many words have a certain meaning to us. But how often do we contemplate the impact or effect those words have on our audience. What words do you use in conversation, on your website or marketing collateral that sends people running the other way or just simply turns them off. And by contrast what words could you be using that would engage, encourage and entice people. Think about it.

Step into the Unknown in 2010

2010-01-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

Our fifth and final resolution for your small business communications - try one new communication method this year. It can be anything from blogging to social networking but before you say "oh that's not for me," consider this:

Both blogging and social networking ...

Help expand your audience. As my good buddy Brady Buckley, who's run corporations and small businesses alike, says it's all a numbers game. The more people you talk to, in this case through the virtual world, the more people you can potentially turn into customers.
Let you easily reconnect with former colleagues, classmates and contacts from your past, all of which are potential customers.
Are free, so you have nothing to lose in trying it but quite a bit to gain.

If you are not sure where to start, check out The WordSlingers posts on setting up and maintaining a small business blog. As for social networking tips, here are two great articles from Inc.com and NetworkSolutions that share a wealth of information for the newbie. Best of luck.

For more information about our business writing services, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

A WordSlinger's Resolution

How Communication Resolutions Help Your Small Business Bottom Line

How an Annual Evaluation of Your Website's Content Can Save and Even Make You Money

The Resolution to be More Responsive in 2010 is Worth the Effort

Resolve to Use the Media to Your Small Business' Advantage

2010-01-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

Today, we're on to The WordSlingers' small business communication resolution #4 - Use the Media. For those of you who haven't been following, last week I identified 5 resolutions related to your small business communication that can both make and save you money in 2010. Ever since, I've been outlining the specific ways each can impact your bottom line.

Resolution # 4 - Use the Media

Using the media, is one of the most practical, inexpensive ways to publicize your business. In our guide to small business press releases published last July, we offered some very specific steps to planning, writing and publishing your own releases. Take a minute to look them over because if you do, you can...

Find out how to publish online press releases for free. That's a cost of $0.
Learn how building a rapport with your local newspaper's business writer can lead to a feature story about your business on either the front page, business page or local page of your city's publication. Again, that's a $0.00 cost to you for great publicity.
The more people who read about you either online or in print, the greater chance you have to turn them into customers. It's all a numbers game.

Of all our resolutions, this one might be the most important to stick to this year. Even one press release can help your business, so imagine the momentum you could build by publishing one monthly or every other month.

For more information about our business writing services, visit us at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

A WordSlinger's Resolution

How Communication Resolutions Help Your Small Business' Bottom Line

How an Annual Evalution of Your Website's Content Can Save and Even Make You Money

The Resolution to be More Responsive in 2010 is Worth the Effort

The Resolution to Be More Responsive in 2010 is Worth the Effort

2010-01-08T14:42:00.000-08:00

Of course, it's easy for me to sit here and suggest that your small business should improve its responsiveness as a New Years resolution. If I told you that I try to practice what I preach, would it make any difference. Probably not but if I get down to brass tacks and outline the ways it can impact your bottom line, I bet it will. Simply put, if you try to cut your response time down even a little bit, here are the ways it can make or save you money.

Resolution #3 - Improve Responsiveness

The quicker you respond and carry out the customer or prospect's order, the quicker you can invoice them and get paid. Improving response time improves your cash flow.
Prospects and customers love companies that cater to them. What better way to cater to them than to shorten your response time. And when you cater to them and they love you for it, they will tell everyone they know about you. That's free advertising that has the potential to be far more valuable than any radio or newspaper ad you place.
On the money saving side, if you speed up your reaction to customer issues you will benefit. The longer issues fester, the bigger they get and potentially the more time and money they cost you. Deal with it immediately and you've saved yourself money and most likely a customer relationship.

On Monday, find out why the well-placed and well-written press release should be in your future.

For more about our business writing services, visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

A WordSlinger's Resolution

How Communication Resolutions Help Your Small Business' Bottom Line

How an Annual Evaluation of Your Website's Content Can Save and Even Make You Money

2010-01-07T04:41:00.000-08:00

The second New Years resolution I have suggested for all small businesses is to do a thorough content evaluation of your website - page by page. Check for misinformation, incorrect information and even missing information. Also make sure all spelling and grammar errors have been corrected - no point turning prospects away because they assume your slackness to spelling details means a slackness in all things related to your business.

Yes, it might be a little time consuming to do this. So why is it worth your while? Here are at least three ways it can make or save you money.

By making sure all of your contact information on your site is correct (i.e. phone # and address), customers who prefer to talk to a live person or shop in person can do so. The more people who can reach you via their preferred method, the more customers you'll have and the more products or services you sell.
Making sure all of your product and pricing information is up to date will ensure that you don't either a) turn off a prospect because you no longer carry the item they spotted and convinced themselves they wanted or b) a customer insists on receiving the old pricing listed on your site or else they won't buy.
Create an online customer service form to streamline customer orders or requests. Many customers look for the path of least resistance, i.e. the easiest way to handle their shopping. Make sure you offer that option and you'll increase your sales.

Up tomorrow, how responsiveness can impact your bottom line.

For more information about our business writing services, visit www.TheWordSlingers.com.

A WordSlinger's Resolution

5 Small Business Resolutions Worth Making and Keeping in 2010

How Communication Resolutions Help Your Small Business' Bottom Line - Part 1

2010-01-06T06:45:00.000-08:00

We're on a roll with our New Year's resolutions but for the cynical and even practical ones reading this blog, you may think the 5 communications-related resolutions from The WordSlingers are soft targets, i.e. not anything that can make or save you money. I'm pretty practical myself and occasionally cynical so I've gone through our 5 resolutions and for each one I've come up with 3 tangible ways that it can positively impact your bottom line.

Resolution #1: How can developing a regular routine for communicating with your existing clients impact your bottom line?

It is far easier and cheaper to sell to an existing customer than a new prospect. When you are on your customers' radar, which you will be when you communicate with them on a regular basis, they are more likely to make repeat purchases. Why? Any number of reasons - your quarterly newsletter reminded them that they want or need to buy product X - your monthly email featured a sale that they want to take advantage of - and even simply because they've grown to like and trust you because you stay in touch and reward their loyalty.
You save time and money by passing on important information, i.e. a new product, a sale, an address change, in one standard communication that goes out to your widest audience, i.e. all customers and prospects in your database.
It's an inexpensive way to advertise your products and services to people who've already done business with you, therefore they're already more willing to jump at your sales pitch than complete strangers. So if you're advertising/marketing budget is tight, here's a way to save a few bucks yet still draw buyers in and more reliable ones at that.

Stay tuned over the next several days, as we identify tangible, money-saving or earning benefits for the rest of our New Years resolutions.

For more information about our business writing services, visit us at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

A WordSlinger's Resolution

A WordSlingers Resolution

2010-01-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I suggested to small business, 5 Resolutions for Communicating in the new year. Today, I'll share my own resolution with you. As a freelance business writer, my goal for 2010 is to enhance my blogging in 3 ways:

To blog more frequently: I can't promise I'll blog everyday (I have a business and family to juggle) but I will provide writing and communication tips as well as success and feel good stories as often as I can.
To blog briefly: By blogging more frequently, I hope to keep them as succinct and helpful as possible while still retaining a touch of humor.
To blog to a wider audience: In 2009, our focus was mostly on small businesses with just a few employees and entrepreneurs just starting up. In 2010, I'm going to reach out to those bigger small businesses that have marketing and/or HR resources but in limited supply. With a focus on both internal and external communications, this blog will work to help all those who are charged with communicating within and without businesses with 1 to 200 employees.

Of course anyone reading our blog, no matter where you work or what you do, can benefit from taking a moment to focus on your communication style and methods. The way you speak and write say a lot about you, make sure both are sending your desired message.

Find out more about us at www.TheWordSlingers.com.

2010-01-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

I'm just like everyone else. I make those New Year's Resolutions - lose weight, eat healthy, get organized, etc - and every year by about January 4th (oh, that would be today) I've already fallen off the wagon. It's good to have goals, the problem with most resolutions is they are too broad and too general and so they don't last.

For small business, goals are a must. The big picture, or vision, is obviously important too, but those specific goals for how this year is going to help you along your path to that big vision should be today's priority. One key area to your success in 2010, the year the recovery hopefully takes solid hold of the economy, is communication, communication, communication.

Here are 5 very specific, but big picture driven, communication resolutions that will help your small business take off in this new year:

Develop a regular routine for communicating with your existing customers (or maintain and enhance it if you already have one) : Make it either monthly or quarterly depending on your time, your business and your customers. Put it in a format that is best received by the majority of your customers, whether that's email, a postcard, a newsletter, etc. And then in the words of Nike - just do it. Every month or every quarter, without fail, give your customers good information that they can use from a source they will learn to trust (you and your business) in the process. For ideas, look at what other businesses send to you. What do you like? What made an impression on you?
Evaluate your website (or create one if you don't already have a site): Pick a date on your calendar and reserve the time to go through your website, page by page. Is it telling the story you want it to? Is it the visual image you want for your company? This doesn't have to involve a major makeover (although in some cases that may be a sound investment in your company) - it can simply be checking to make sure all the information is up-to-date and current, all the grammar and spelling are correct, there are no inconsistencies or redundancies. If you don't have the time to do this yourself, ask an employee or trusted colleague to evaluate it for you.
Improve responsiveness: Set a goal with yourself and all of your staff to reduce the amount of time it takes to respond to customer or prospect requests. If it currently takes a day to return prospect calls, figure out a way to cut that down to same day service. It doesn't mean you have to solve the entire problem or completely fulfill the request right away but letting a customer or prospect know that you're working on their request is a great public relations tactic.
Use the media: Set a goal to publish at least 6 press releases about your company this year. That's one every other month. Press releases allow small businesses to take advantage of widespread publicity in their local market and in the virtual market. It's an inexpensive medium that lets you tell the good news story about your small business.
Try at least one new communication method: Haven't entered the realm of blogging or social media yet? Maybe you don't feel you need to use these communication devices because you've got well established customers but before you rule them out consider this - there is a whole new generation and demographic using tools such as linkedin, facebook, blogger and twitter. Yes the names sound funny, but this may be the easiest, least expensive way to expand your business into a new target market.

Good luck with these and all your New Years resolutions. Look for more communication articles, tips and advice in 2010 from The WordSlingers, your Charlotte based business writing experts.

Real-Life Success from Key Communication Tips

2009-12-17T14:12:00.001-08:00

If you don't think professional, responsive communications are worth your small business' while, then consider this real-life success story of a company that used several of our marketing/communication techniques. We'll call this company - Small Business.

Early afternoon: a prospective customer does a Google search to locate the right business to handle his need. He finds a directory, on which Small Business has listed itself for free, and based on the Small Business' compelling company description and link to its informative website, the prospect is interested.

3 pm: The prospect calls Small Business to discuss its business need. A representative of Small Business makes a very positive first impression by answering the phone directly, beginning to help the prospect, and requesting additional information in order to be able to deliver an accurate quote.

4 pm: The prospect delivers the additional information to Small Business and requests a quote.

5:45 pm: Small Business immediately goes to work on its Service Quote. Within an hour and 45 minutes of prospect's request, Small Business delivers a professional yet uncomplicated Service Quote.

7:15 pm: Prospect accepts quote and is now a customer.

Good communication skills are as invaluable as your computer, your phone and your investors, and yet most of the time they are absolutely free.

Visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com for more tips and articles on small business communications.

A Holiday Card is an Easy Way to Connect with Customers

2009-12-14T06:38:00.000-08:00

I'm always talking about the importance of staying in touch with your customers. If you haven't already done it, sending out some Holiday cards to your customers is a great way to stay on their radar at this busy time of year. It' fast, affordable and easy.

Pick up a box of non-religious cards at Office Depot, CVS or any other store. (Note: Just like communicating your political views to business associates, keeping the card neutral is your safest bet for not offending any of your clientele who might celebrate the holidays in a different way from you.)
If you've got a large customer base, come up with a simple and professional message that expresses both your wish for a happy holiday and your appreciation for their business and use that on all cards.
If you've got a smaller customer base, try to personalize all or at least some of the cards with a specific thanks about their business over 2009.
For your most loyal customers, include an additional personalilzed note so that they know you appreciate their loyalty.

Many individuals and businesses have cut out sending holiday cards either for the expense or the time. That makes it an even nicer touch when you do send them to your customers. If you are swamped for time and can't get to it before Christmas, then send out New Year's cards. You'll still be on their radar for 2010 and you'll be even more unique than most.

Visit www.TheWordSlingers.com to learn more about our services.

B2B Communications - Show Your Appreciation

2009-10-29T11:32:00.001-07:00

Today is my oldest son's 12th birthday. Despite the fact that he had an orthodontist appointment this morning, the rest of the day has been spent showering him with attention - buying him a new pair of flipflops for post-hockey game wear, baking his favorite cake and letting him lick the icing off the mixer's beaters, and reminding him of the story of the day he was born.

So what does this have to do with The WordSlingers' October back to basic (B2B) communication theme. Well, whether its someone in your family or someone who does business with you, everyone likes to feel appreciated. As I've said many times on this blog, small businesses have the advantage over large in that they are more often than not, closer in physical proximity and in rapport. So you can get an even bigger bang for your appreciation buck. Here are few tips:

Remember customers don't have to buy from you - they could choose not to buy at all or they could choose another vendor. When they choose you, make sure they know you appreciate that choice. Those 2 little words - thank you - go a long way.
No one ever tires of being showered with attention - keep your customers coming back to you because you provide them personalized service that they don't get elsewhere.
Make it a point to know your repeat customers and acknowledge to them that you realize they've made recurrent purchases.

There are many more ways to show your appreciation and make your customers feel special. Figure out what works with your particular communication style, your type of business and your target market and then make it a part of every interaction with your customers.

B2B Communications - Always Double Check Your Work

B2B Communications - Making a Good 1st Impression

B2B Communications - Think Before You Speak

B2B Communications - Handling Business Invitations with Style

B2B Communications - A Refresher

B2B Communications - Stay in Touch with Your Customers

2009-10-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, today's back to basic (B2B) communication tip is one I'm guilty of breaking at present - staying in touch with your customers. I've been out of the blogosphere since last week, busy writing web content, press releases and more for some of my key clients but ignoring the rest.

I do have a bit of an excuse - my son is home sick with the flu which has limited my time significantly. But there is always an excuse for slacking off on frequent customer communication. The trick is once you realize you have slacked off, jump right back on the bandwagon and reconnect, like I am.

Here are some easy ways to stay in frequent contact with customers. You can use them by themselves or in conjuction with each other:

A monthly or quarterly newsletter either via email or by mail
Promotional emails with special offers
Weekly phone calls - pick a doable number of customers each week to check in on via phone
Drop in visits - same as the phone calls, pick a couple a week to go see in person
Postcards with customer tip or a special offer
Host a special event for customers at your place of business

October is almost over but we've still got two more B2B tips before the month is out. So keep visiting The WordSlingers blog.

B2B Communications - Making a Good 1st Impression

B2B Communications - Think Before You Speak

B2B Communications - Handling Business Invitations with Style

B2B Communications - A Refresher

Visit us at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

B2B Communications - Always Double Check Your Work

2009-10-16T07:20:00.001-07:00

As I was growing up, my father owned a small business that manufactured laminate-covered countertops, shelves, bookcases and more for schools, libraries and laboratories. Having felt the sting of this recession, I now have a much better understanding of the stresses he was under. I distinctly recall periods during the 1970s when he would come home every night and say, well I think we'll break even this month. Looking back, I think he was, in fact, willing that sentence to be true because, with 6 children and a wife to feed, he had no other choice.

It was a family business from the get go although many of the employees were not related to us, they just became a part of our world. For my father, they were the people who helped keep the business going day in and day out amidst the sawdust in their immediate surroundings and the oil embargo/gas shortages swirling around them causing their own personal strife. For my siblings and I, they were the spice that flavored our nightly dinner conversation.

By the time I was a teenager, I followed in the tradition of my two older sisters - that is filling in for my father's secretary during the summer months so that she could spend that time with her children without risk of losing her job. It was an invaluable learning experience. For one, my father could be intimidating as it was, he was very old school, but second it was him in his professional milieu which added another layer of austerity to his personality. It was a window into his world where he multi-tasked before that even became a term.

His golden rule was always double check your work. This was back in the days before Quicken or Quickbooks and all accounts payable, receivable and payroll were done by hand with the help of an adding machine (oh, how I loved the sound of it calculating up the final total). Following his rule, I did as I was told for I certainly didn't want to disappoint him. I would double and triple check my figures to make sure the monthly AP total was correct, or the right FICA had been taken out of someone's paycheck. If I didn't, that could potentially mean squandering hard earned money.

It is a lesson that has stuck with me to the present and it is the back to basic (B2B) communication tip for today. Technology has made not only math functions quicker and easier, but writing functions as well. But sometimes that speed also comes with its share of mistakes. We are so ready to send off an email, post to our blog, or bang out that service quote, that we forget to double check our work. The result - typos, grammatical mistakes, unprofessional looking work, a bad impression, potential loss of business, etc.

It usually only takes a few minutes to follow this golden rule but it pays off every time. Rarely do I not find a mistake and breathe a sigh of relief that I did not send the communication off with it. Maybe the recipient wouldn't have noticed anyway, but I'm not willing to take that chance and I don't recommend that you do either. Our hard earned reputations and money are too valuable.

Related Posts - The B2B Series from The WordSlingers

B2B Communications - Making a Good 1st Impression
B2B Communications - Think Before You Speak
B2B Communications - Handling Business Invitations with Style
B2B Communications - A Refresher

B2B Communications - Making a Good 1st Impression

2009-10-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

The last year or two of economic blues has taken its toll on people's wallets and their patience. In thinking about our October theme of back-to-basic (b2b) communications, I wanted to find some common sense communications approach that could help counter that dispirited mood. And I go back to the simple, yet wise advice my mother ingrained in me - always strive to make a good first impression. I've dealt with this topic before in our monthly business communication article but it's one of those areas that somehow gets overlooked too often.

So here is The WordSlingers' Back to Basics on How to Make a Good First Impression

Be friendly: It sounds incredibly obvious but sometimes in the midst of our stressed business days, we forget to be friendly. This can be especially consequential when it is a prospect who has walked into your business or called on the phone. Being friendly isn't a choice, it is a must, if you want to be in business.

Use good grammar: You don't have to sound like an english professor but keep the "ain'ts" out of the conversation. Using good grammar, says you respect the person you're communicating with enough to do so. Think of it as putting on your best business suit for that client meeting. You most likely wouldn't wear a worn out, ugly pair of jeans, so don't use lazy, ugly language.

Don't interrupt: This has become a hard one because it seems that everyone interrupts everyone else these days. Just watch the Today show, the View or Nancy Grace. Everyone is so interested in having their say that they can't wait their turn to talk. When communicating with a prospect, being a better listener, i.e. with no interruptions, will make you a better talker when it is your turn to speak.

Limit profanity: Yes, even this southern writer likes to throw out an expletive now and then but in business doing so can be very unprofessional. Limit your profanity or at least refrain from using it until you know your audience well enough to know if that f bomb is considered a part of the business lexicon or an immediate deal killer. It can go either way so keep it to yourself until you've assessed your audience.
Know your audience: Doing a little research before hand, either about a specific business client or your target consumer market in general, can help you determine the best communication approach to use. Like I said above, for some audiences, using a bit of profanity is what gets you into the club. Or adjusting your colloquisms can engender yourself to a particular audience. Just make sure you don't go too far. You still need to come across as genuine, interested but genuine.

We all want our small business to stand out to our potential customers. Putting forth the effort to make a good first impression (and second, and third, etc) can make a real difference. Be a breath of fresh air that shakes up the stagnant atmosphere of your prospects.

B2B Communications - Handling Business Invitations with Style

B2B Communications - A Refresher

All I Need to Know About Communicating I Learned in Kindergarten or Shortly Thereafter

Visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com!

B2B Communications - Think Before Your Speak

2009-10-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

Continuing on our theme of back to basic (B2B) communications, today I want to focus on the importance of thinking before your speak - whether that's speaking verbally, virtually (email, twitter, etc) or in written form.

Each of us is bombarded with messages, comments and requests on a daily basis and some of them are pushy, unwanted and aggressive. These types of messages put us on the defensive and sometimes make us downright angry. The urge to fire back a salvo of our own is almost irrestistable.

However, when it comes to communicating under the auspices of your small business (and if you're the owner, that is basically all of the time, even in social settings), the initial gratification of responding with like venom will be fleeting at best. If it's a customer, you've potentially lost them for good. If it's a vendor, you've probably lessened your ability to negotiate. No matter who it is, it really serves you no good to get entangled in their negative tone.

Still, in many cases a response is required. Follow The WordSlingers 3 W's for thinking before you speak or more accurately thinking before your react:

Walk Away - When that nasty email arrives and you read it, resist the urge to respond immediately. Get up, take a breath, try to put yourself in the sender's shoes and then think about the best way to professionally respond.
Wait it Out - A nasty comment made during a meeting can be very annoying and a stinging retort may be on the tip of your tongue but anything said or sent in haste can't be taken back. Instead of saying the first thing that comes to your mind when under attack, pull back, wait and contemplate your response.
Wisely Respond - Think about the end result that you want to gain out of the exchange that is occuring. Once you know what you want, formulate a response that is most likely to achieve your results. And remember in most cases, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Despite that desire to tell some people what you really think, in business you've still got to be professional. Following these tips will help you rise above, potentially salvage a relationship and more likely achieve your goal.

Related Posts
B2B Communications - Handling Business Invitations with Style

B2B Communications - A Refresher

All I Need to Know About Communicating I Learned in Kindergarten or Shortly Thereafter

Find out more about our writing services at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

B2B Communications - Handling Business Invitations with Style

2009-10-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

We've all planned a party, sent out the invitations and then waited for people to respond, only to have the inevitable stragglers who fail to ever RSVP. And quite frankly, at one time or another, we have all probably been guilty of being one of those stragglers. Don't worry, I won't tell your mother, if you won't tell mine.

In social settings, it's rude not to properly respond to an invitation but in business settings, it's not only rude, it's unprofessional. Not a word you want associated with your business no matter what the reason. Not only that, it costs people money when you don't respond and with today's tight budgets that is sure to give you or your company a bad name with the host.

With holiday functions just around the corner, today's back-to-basic (B2B) communication tip is timely.

How to handle invitations to business functions with style:

Always respond promptly. If you're delaying your response because your schedule or situation changes frequently, highlight your calendar for the date the host requests a response. At that time, you've got no choice but to make a decision.
Be honest. If you can't attend, just express your regrets and move on. Your host will understand. It's far better to be honest than to say you're going to attend because you're afraid of disappointing them and then not showing. That would be far more disappointing to your host.
No Need for Lengthy Explanations: Sometimes when we feel guilty about turning down an invitation, we feel the need to make lengthly explanations. Stop. Don't do it. Just politely say you can't make this event but you hope to be able to make the next one.
Dealing with Last Minute Changes: If you respond affirmatively but something comes up at the last minute, the most professional thing to do is contact your host and briefly explain the situation and express your regrets at having to change your plans.
Regrets Only: When the invitation says Regrets Only, that means you only have to let the host know if you DO NOT plan to attend. This does not give you license to not let your host know if you have no intention of showing up.
RSVP: When the invitation says RSVP, a response is required no matter what it is. Whether you plan to attend or not, you need to let your host know.

Remember that when businesses host events, conferences, parties and the like, their planning is based on the responses they receive. Don't be the one who wastes their money and time by not responding properly. Failure to comply with such an easy request can significantly harm your business' reputation, a risk that proves it's not worth it to be lazy.

Stay tuned the rest of this month for more B2B communication tips from The WordSlingers.

Related Posts:

B2B Communications - A Refresher

All I Needed to Know About Communications I Learned in Kindergarten or Shortly Thereafter